endowment

/ɪnˈdaʊmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈdaʊmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈdau̇-mənt en-/ (ame, mw)

endowment — noun

  • endowmentsingular
  • endowmentsplural

1. A sum of money given to an institution such as a university, hospital, or museum

1.名詞B2
釋義

A sum of money given to an institution such as a university, hospital, or museum. The institution keeps this money as a permanent fund, usually invests it, and spends only the income it earns over many years. The word can also describe the process of providing such funds to an institution.

例句

The Yan family made a large endowment to the local university's medical school.

collocation: make a large endowment

The college used income from its endowment to fund student scholarships every year.

collocation: endowment income

同義詞
  • donation

    more general; can be a single gift of any size, not necessarily a permanent fund

  • bequest

    specifically money or property left in a will

  • grant

    usually given for a specific project or purpose, not as a permanent investment fund

  • fund

    broader; any sum of money set aside for a purpose, not always permanent

文法句型

endowment + of + institution (the act)

endowment + fund / income / campaign (attributive)

用法筆記

An endowment is different from a one-time donation: it is meant to last permanently, and only the investment earnings are spent. Many large universities and hospitals rely on their endowments to cover operating costs.

常見錯誤

❌The company gave a one-time endowment of $5,000 for the event.
✅The company made a one-time donation of $5,000 for the event.
💡An endowment is a permanent fund, not a single short-term gift.
❌She received an endowment to study abroad.
✅She received a scholarship to study abroad.
💡An endowment is given to an institution, not directly to an individual as a personal grant.

2. An ability, quality, or characteristic that a person has naturally from birth, r

2.名詞C1
釋義

An ability, quality, or characteristic that a person has naturally from birth, rather than one they learn or develop through training — for example, a talent for music, a kind nature, or physical strength.

例句

Yan's natural endowments as a singer were clear from a very young age.

often plural: natural endowments

Physical strength was not one of Andrei's endowments, but his patience was remarkable.

contrastive structure: not one of … endowments

同義詞
  • talent

    less formal and much more common; focuses on a special natural skill

  • gift

    similar to talent, with an implication of something given by nature

  • aptitude

    focuses on a natural tendency or capacity to learn something

  • faculty

    a natural mental or physical power; more technical

文法句型

endowment of + trait / ability

natural endowment(s)

intellectual / physical / artistic endowment(s)

用法筆記

This sense is formal and more common in written English than in everyday conversation. It is frequently used in the plural form (endowments) to refer to multiple qualities or abilities. The singular form often appears with a modifier (e.g. a natural endowment, a rare endowment).

常見錯誤

❌Her endowment for drawing was obvious at age five.
✅Her talent for drawing was obvious at age five.
💡In everyday English, talent or gift is more natural than endowment when speaking about a child's natural ability.