per stirpes

[ pur stur-peez, per ]

adjective, adverbLaw.
  1. pertaining to or noting a method of dividing an estate in which the descendants of a deceased person share as a group in the portion of the estate to which the deceased would have been entitled.

Origin of per stirpes

1
First recorded in 1675–85, per stirpes is from Latin per stirpēs literally, “by stocks”

Words Nearby per stirpes

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use per stirpes in a sentence

  • In the absence of these, equality ruled between individuals; they shared 'per capita,' and not 'per stirpes.'

  • Indeed we need not care whether the division per stirpes or per capita, our share is not the less in either case.

    Americanisms and Briticisms | Brander Matthews