dower vs legacy

dower

noun
  • Property given by a groom directly to his bride at or before their wedding in order to legitimize the marriage; dowry. 

  • The part of or interest in a deceased husband's property provided to his widow, usually in the form of a life estate. 

verb
  • To endow. 

  • To give a dower or dowry to. 

legacy

noun
  • Money or property bequeathed to someone in a will. 

  • The descendant of an alumnus. 

  • Something inherited from a predecessor or the past. 

adj
  • Left over from the past; no longer current. 

How often have the words dower and legacy occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )