Inchoate Dower Law and Legal Definition
Inchoate dower is a wife’s interest in her husband’s estate while both of them are alive. In other words, inchoate dower is an imperfect interest that the law gives a wife in the property of her husband, which becomes perfect upon the death of the husband and may result in possession and use. An inchoate dower cannot be alienated and cannot be reached by creditors. It can be released by the wife if she joins with her husband in a deed. The right of dower of a widow is considered as “inchoate” until the death of her husband, and after the death, it becomes a vested right to a life estate.
