Dower is a legal right a wife has to a partial interest (usually one-third) in her husband’s property upon his death. It’s largely been abolished in the United States (there are exceptions) in favor of other statutory spousal inheritance rights. There was a time where a wife would have to relinquish her dower interest in real property when the husband sold that real property.
A dowry refer to property a bride brings with her to a marriage, typically from her family.
Dowry is typically a pre-marital property amount brought by a bride. Dower is typically an inheritance right of the widow.
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