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bequeath

[ bih-kweeth, -kweeth ]
/ bɪˈkwiθ, -ˈkwið /
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See synonyms for: bequeath / bequeathed / bequeathing / bequeathal on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to dispose of (personal property, especially money) by last will: She bequeathed her half of the company to her niece.
to hand down; pass on.
Obsolete. to commit; entrust.
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Origin of bequeath

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bequeath

be·queath·a·ble, adjectivebe·queath·al, be·queath·ment, nounbe·queath·er, nounun·be·queath·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to bequeath

bestow, entrust, hand down, impart, pass on, commit, devise, endow, grant, leave, transmit, will, hand on, legate

British Dictionary definitions for bequeath

bequeath
/ (bɪˈkwiːð, -ˈkwiːθ) /
verb (tr)
law to dispose of (property, esp personal property) by willCompare devise (def. 2)
to hand down; pass on, as to following generations

Derived forms of bequeath

bequeather, nounbequeathal, noun

Word Origin for bequeath

Old English becwethan; related to Old Norse kvetha to speak, Gothic qithan, Old High German quethan
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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