bequest
Americannoun
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a disposition in a will.
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a legacy.
A small bequest allowed her to live independently.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bequest
1250–1300; Middle English biqueste, biquyste, equivalent to bi- be- + quiste will, bequest, Old English -cwis ( se ) (with excrescent t, as in behest ), noun derivative of cwethan to say; on the model of bequethen bequeath
Explanation
When you receive some kind of gift, be it money or property, through a will, that gift is known as a bequest. Your aunt left you a bequest of the earrings she always thought you admired. The noun bequest is something one arranges to give away after death, sort of a gift from beyond the grave. Basically, putting a bequest in a will is a way of making sure the right person will get certain goods after your death. If you are very wealthy, universities and charitable organizations may court you in an attempt to gain bequests for their institutions.
Vocabulary lists containing bequest
Beowulf vocabulary
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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Pygmalion
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Photograph: Tate/Trustees Of The Chantrey Bequest How many ways are there to tell the story of British art?
From The Guardian • May 3, 2013
Besides, the words Legacy, Bequest, go side by side with the words, Death, Funeral.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
A Bequest of His Heart HENCE, heart, with her that must depart, And hald thee with thy soverane!
From Bulchevy's Book of English Verse by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir
She was gratified to learn that the Special Bequest was no bar to the participation of the Association in the general advantages provided by Mr. Gardner for the blind.
From Elizabeth Gilbert and Her Work for the Blind by Martin, Frances
"The Bequest of a Friend" was engraved on them.
From The Morgesons by Stoddard, Elizabeth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
