Bestowed

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɪˈstoʊd/

Definitions

1. Given as a special gift, honor, or privilege to someone
2. Presented to a person or group as an official or meaningful award
3. Granted or conferred upon someone as a mark of respect or distinction

Etymology: "Bestowed" is the past tense and past participle of "bestow," so its history is really the history of that verb. "Bestow" is formed from the prefix "be-," which here intensifies or completes the action, and "stow," meaning a place or to put something in a place. The original sense was literal: to stow something away, to lodge or place it somewhere. Stow itself comes from the Old English "stōw," meaning place, which also gave us place-names ending in "-stow" and "-stowe." The meaning then moved from physical placing toward giving. By the late Middle English period, "bestow" had come to mean to put something to use, or to dispose of something, and from there to hand over a gift or possession. Over time it narrowed further, so that it now usually implies conferring something valuable, such as an honour, title, or favour, upon someone of lower standing or as a formal distinction.

Synonyms: granted, conferred, given, awarded, donated

Antonyms: withheld, taken, retracted, denied, refused