bestow

UK/bɪˈstəʊ/US/bɪˈstoʊ/

verbB2+Common in everyday speech and writing · #7,958 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: bestowed, bestowing, bestows

To bestow is to give something as an honour. Bestow a title, bestowed upon him, bestow an award.

It is formal and always takes on or upon rather than to, which is what marks it out. What is bestowed is a distinction rather than an object — you bestow an honour and hand over a parcel. The stow in it is the ordinary verb meaning to place.

Definitions of bestow

1verbbestowTo give something as an honour.B2+
“The university bestowed an honorary doctorate on the retired nurse.”

bestow is a giving.

Where it comes from

Middle English bistowen, from be- plus stow, to place. Stow is Old English stowian, from stow, a place.

Proto-Indo-European
*steh₂- — to place; to stand (up)
Middle English
bestowen
English, today
bestow

Built from

bistowen · Middle English — to give, bestow; to apply (something to something else); to arrange or have control over (something); to place (someone) in a position; to use (for some purpose); (reflexive) to find (oneself) a place to live or shelter
stowen · Middle English — to pack (cargo) in a ship, stow; to place (someone) in a certain position; to provide quarters for, lodge; etc.

The verb is derived from Middle English bestowen, bistouen, bistowen (“to give, bestow; to apply (something to something else); to arrange or have control over (something); to place (someone) in a position; to use (for some purpose); (reflexive) to find (oneself) a place to live or shelter”)bestow, bestowe, bistow, bistowe, bystow, bystowe, from bi- + stouen, stowen (“to pack (cargo) in a ship, stow; to place (someone) in a certain position; to provide quarters for, lodge; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- (“to place; to stand (up)”)). The English word is analysable as be + stow. The noun is derived from the verb.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

bestow in the wild

Colin, the Quran is said to be charged with barakah, and God can bestow prophets and saints with barakah.
Barakah
In such a list, a prime minister may ask the monarch to bestow peerages, or lesser honours, on any number of people of their choosing.
Prime Minister's Resignation Honours
Bartsham Lhakhang is said to grant wishes, guard against snake bites, heal leprosy, and bestow women with children.
Bartsham Gewog
All copies of the Sanhuangjing were ordered burned by Emperor Taizong of Tang in 647 CE, due to its supposed ability to bestow imperial status upon the reader.
Sanhuangjing

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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