A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher)'s the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage. Compare bride price, which's paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which's property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both dowry and bride price. The dowry's an ancient custom, and its existence may well predate records of it. History Originally, the purpose of dowry concept was to help a husband… (More on Dowry)