BEQUEATH

bequeath, will, leave

(verb) leave or give by will after one’s death; “My aunt bequeathed me all her jewelry”; “My grandfather left me his entire estate”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

bequeath (third-person singular simple present bequeaths, present participle bequeathing, simple past (obsolete) bequoth or bequeathed, past participle (rare) bequethen or (obsolete) bequothen or bequeathed)

(legal) To give or leave by will; to give by testament.

To hand down; to transmit.

To give; to offer; to commit.

Usage notes

• (give or leave by will): The verb bequeath is usually used of personal property; for real property, the term devise is preferred (hence the phrase give, devise, and bequeath).

Source: Wiktionary


Be*queath", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bequeathed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bequeathing.] Etym: [OE. biquethen, AS. becwe to say, affirm, bequeath; pref. be- + cwe to say, speak. See Quoth.]

1. To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially of personal property. My heritage, which my dead father did bequeath to me. Shak.

2. To hand down; to transmit. To bequeath posterity somewhat to remember it. Glanvill.

3. To give; to offer; to commit. [Obs.] To whom, with all submission, on my knee I do bequeath my faithful services And true subjection everlastingly. Shak.

Syn.

– To Bequeath, Devise. Both these words denote the giving or disposing of property by will. Devise, in legal usage, is property used to denote a gift by will of real property, and he to whom it is given is called the devisee. Bequeath is properly applied to a gift by will or legacy; i. e., of personal property; the gift is called a legacy, and he who receives it is called a legatee. In popular usage the word bequeath is sometimes enlarged so as to embrace devise; and it is sometimes so construed by courts.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 December 2024

QUANDONG

(noun) Australian tree having hard white timber and glossy green leaves with white flowers followed by one-seeded glossy blue fruit


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