Origins
The English verb 'bestow' is a word whose modern meaning of generous, formal giving has drifted far from its humble origins as a term for simply putting something down in a particular place. The etymological journey from 'to place' to 'to confer an honor' illustrates how physical actions can acquire ceremonial weight through centuries of use.
The word appears in Middle English around 1300 as 'bistowen,' formed from the prefix 'be-' (functioning here as an intensifier or completive marker) and 'stowen' (to place, to put in a particular spot). The verb 'stowen' derives from Old English 'stōw,' meaning 'a place' or 'a spot,' which comes from Proto-Germanic *stōwō (place).
Old English 'stōw' was a common and productive word. It appears frequently in place names: Felixstowe (Felix's place), Walthamstow (the place of welcome), Padstow (Petroc's place), Bristol (from 'Brycgstōw,' bridge-place), and many others. The unprefixed verb 'stow' survives in modern English with the physical meaning intact — we stow luggage, stow gear, stow cargo. 'Stowaway' (a person who hides aboard a ship) preserves the image of tucking oneself into a hidden place.
Middle English
The semantic development of 'bestow' moved through several stages. The earliest Middle English meaning was simply 'to place' or 'to put' — no different from 'stow' except for the intensifying prefix. By the fourteenth century, it had acquired the sense of 'to apply' or 'to make use of' (bestowing one's time or labor on something). The crucial transition came when 'bestowing' something on someone shifted from physically placing an object in their hands to the more abstract act of giving, granting, or conferring. By the fifteenth century, the 'giving' sense was dominant, and by the sixteenth, 'bestow' had acquired its characteristic formality — one bestows honors, titles, gifts, and blessings, not mundane objects.
This elevation from physical to ceremonial is common in English. 'Confer' (from Latin 'conferre,' to bring together) similarly moved from physical carrying to formal granting. 'Present' (from Latin 'praesentāre,' to place before) evolved from physical placement to gift-giving. 'Bestow' followed the same trajectory through native Germanic word-stock rather than Latin borrowing.
Shakespeare used 'bestow' with particular frequency and range. In his works, characters bestow love, attention, gifts, daughters in marriage, and even themselves. The word appears in both its physical sense (bestowing a body in a room — placing it there) and its honorific sense (bestowing a title), sometimes in the same play, demonstrating that the full spectrum of meaning was still active in the early seventeenth century.
Modern Usage
In modern usage, 'bestow' has settled firmly into the formal and ceremonial register. One bestows awards, honors, knighthoods, blessings, and privileges. The formality is part of the word's function — choosing 'bestow' over 'give' signals that the act of giving is significant, deliberate, and worthy of recognition. A parent gives a birthday present; a queen bestows a title. The verb's gravitas makes it unsuitable for casual transactions, which is itself a kind of semantic achievement: a word that began as 'put something down' has become one that can only describe acts of importance.
The noun 'bestowal' — the act of bestowing — is attested from the seventeenth century but remains relatively rare, reflects the fact that English speakers prefer the verb. The action of bestowing, with its ceremonial weight, is more vivid than the abstract concept of bestowal.