bequest

[bih-kwest]

noun

1. a disposition in a will.

2. a legacy.

   A small bequest allowed her to live independently.

bequest

/ bɪˈkwɛst /

noun

1. 1. the act of bequeathing

   2. something that is bequeathed

2. law a gift of property by will, esp personal property Compare devise devise

Word History and Origins

Origin of bequest¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bequest¹

C14: _be- + Old English -cwiss degree; see _bequeath

Example Sentences

You can delineate these bequests in a will or in a trust, but either way, the designated administrator becomes responsible for distributing the items and can be held accountable if things go missing.

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Receiving a bequest from your father will not change the many years you had growing up.

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A promise or statement of intent is not the same as a bequest or beneficiary designation.

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British scientist James Smithson’s bequest was intended to support “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

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The case landed in the Court of Chancery - where Elizabeth argued her late husband had no power to grant Shakespeare's home and mentioned her grandfather's bequest to her mother.

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Related Words

• endowment 
• inheritance