bequeath

American  

[bih-kweeth, -kweeth] / bɪˈkwiθ, -ˈkwið /

verb (used with object)

1. to dispose of (personal property, especially money) by last will.

   She bequeathed her half of the company to her niece.

   Synonyms:

   consign , grant , bestow , leave , impart , will

2. to hand down; pass on.

3. Obsolete.  to commit; entrust.

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bequeath British  

/ bɪˈkwiːð, -ˈkwiːθ /

verb

1. law to dispose of (property, esp personal property) by will Compare devise

2. to hand down; pass on, as to following generations

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Other Word Forms

• bequeathable adjective
• bequeathal noun
• bequeather noun
• bequeathment noun
• unbequeathable adjective

Etymology

Origin of bequeath

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bequethen, Old English becwethan ( be- be- + cwethan “to say” ( quoth ), cognate with Old High German quedan, Gothic qithan )

Example Sentences

He points out in a note that profit growth of 1% relative to the average of the prior two quarters was lower than the 1.7% benefit bequeathed by the period’s 1.5 extra days.

From The Wall Street Journal

And yet you can’t bequeath to your children a crust of bread.

From The Wall Street Journal

If your friend has a valuable piece of jewelry she may wish to bequeath those to a sister or aunt or niece.

From MarketWatch

“We maintain ourselves in existence,” he says, “through a style bequeathed to us by our Rilkean memories.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Rein implores us to override the divisive reflexes evolution has bequeathed us.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bestow
• entrust
• hand down
• impart
• pass on