'endowment' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'endowement', from Old French 'endouer', ultimately from Latin 'dotare' (related to 'dos') where 'dos' meant 'gift' or 'dowry'.

'endowment' changed from Middle English 'endowement' (from Old French 'endouer') and eventually became the modern English word 'endowment' through normal phonological and morphological development.

Initially, it referred specifically to giving a dowry or providing property (a gift tied to marriage or provision); over time it evolved into the broader modern meanings of a financial fund given to an institution and of natural gifts or talents.