tocher
Definition
- Noun (Scottish English):
- A dowry or marriage portion: "tocher" refers to the money, goods, or property that a bride brings to her husband upon marriage. This term is historically and regionally specific to Scotland.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The family provided a generous tocher for their daughter's wedding. (A substantial dowry was given as part of the marriage arrangement.)
- In old Scottish law, the tocher was often negotiated before the marriage contract was signed. (The dowry was a formal part of the agreement.)
Advanced Usage
"to give tocher": to provide a dowry.
- The father gave tocher in the form of land and cattle. (He offered property and livestock as the marriage portion.)
"tocherless": without a dowry.
- She was considered tocherless, which made finding a husband more difficult in that society. (She lacked a dowry, a disadvantage in traditional marriage customs.)
Variants and Related Words
Tocherless (adj): lacking a dowry.
- The tocherless bride relied on her personal qualities rather than wealth. (She had no marriage portion to offer.)
Tocher-fyke (n): a legal term for a lawsuit to recover a dowry.
- The family filed a tocher-fyke when the promised dowry was not delivered. (They took legal action to claim the marriage portion.)
Synonyms
- Dowry: money or property brought by a bride to her husband.
- Marriage portion: a formal term for a dowry.
- Dower: a legal term for property settled on a wife at marriage (distinct from tocher, which is given by the bride's family).
Related Idioms
"To make a tocher": to accumulate or provide a dowry.
- The family worked hard for years to make a tocher for their daughter. (They saved and gathered resources for the marriage portion.)
"Tocher and jointure": a phrase referring to the bride's dowry and the husband's settlement in return.
- The marriage contract specified both tocher and jointure to ensure financial security. (The dowry from the bride's side and the husband's provision for her were both detailed.)