The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Endowment \En*dow"ment\, n.
   1. The act of bestowing a dower, fund, or permanent provision
      for support.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. That which is bestowed or settled on a person or an
      institution; property, fund, or revenue permanently
      appropriated to any object; as, the endowment of a church,
      a hospital, or a college.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. That which is given or bestowed upon the person or mind;
      gift of nature; accomplishment; natural capacity; talents;
      -- usually in the plural.
      [1913 Webster]

            His early endowments had fitted him for the work he
            was to do.                            --I. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

endowment
    n 1: natural abilities or qualities [syn: endowment, gift,
         talent, natural endowment]
    2: the capital that provides income for an institution [syn:
       endowment, endowment fund]
    3: the act of endowing with a permanent source of income; "his
       generous endowment of the laboratory came just in the nick of
       time"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

174 Moby Thesaurus words for "endowment":
   Altmann theory, DNA, De Vries theory, Galtonian theory,
   Mendelianism, Mendelism, RNA, TLC, Verworn theory, Weismann theory,
   Weismannism, Wiesner theory, abilities, ability, accommodation,
   accordance, accouterment, allele, allelomorph, allotment,
   allowance, appanage, aptitudes, armament, attributes, award,
   awarding, bequest, bestowal, bestowment, birth, bread, bump,
   caliber, capabilities, capability, capacities, capacity, care,
   catering, chandlery, character, characteristics, chromatid,
   chromatin, chromosome, communication, concession, conferment,
   conferral, contribution, daily bread, deliverance, delivery,
   determinant, determiner, diathesis, donation, dot, dower, dowry,
   economic support, empowerment, enablement, endowments, equipment,
   eugenics, factor, faculty, finding, fitting out, flair, forte,
   foundation, furnishing, furnishment, gene, genesiology,
   genetic code, genetics, genius, gift, gifting, gifts, giving,
   grant, granting, hereditability, heredity, heritability, heritage,
   impartation, impartment, inborn capacity, inheritability,
   inheritance, instinct, investiture, investment, jointure, keep,
   legal jointure, liberality, livelihood, living, logistics,
   long suit, maintenance, makings, manna, marriage portion,
   matrocliny, meat, metier, mothering, natural endowment,
   natural gift, nourishment, nurture, offer, outfitting, parts,
   patrocliny, pharmacogenetics, portion, potential, power, powers,
   preparation, present, presentation, presentment, price support,
   procurement, properties, providing, provision, provisioning,
   purveyance, qualification, recessive character, reinforcement,
   replenishment, replication, resupply, retailing, selling,
   settlement, speciality, strengths, strong flair, strong point,
   subscription, subsidization, subsidy, subsistence, subvention,
   supply, supplying, support, surrender, sustainment, sustenance,
   sustentation, talent, talents, tender loving care, the goods,
   the stuff, thirds, upkeep, victualing, vouchsafement,
   what it takes



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

ENDOWMENT. The bestowing or assuring of a dower to a woman. It is sometimes
used: metaphorically, for the setting a provision for a charitable
institution, as the endowment of a hospital.