bequest

[ bih-kwest ]

/ bɪˈkwɛst /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bequest ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a disposition in a will.

a legacy: A small bequest allowed her to live independently.

Nearby words

beograd, beothuk, beowulf, bepaint, bequeath, bequest, ber. is., berachah, berakah, berakhah, berar

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bequest

Muth called police to say she died from a fall, and told her family he was owed a bequest of $250,000.
Georgetown Socialite Viola Drath Killed by Assassin, Husband Claims|Sandra McElwaine|November 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The bequest to Tolson was the final word on the closeness of their relationship.
Hoover’s Secret Files|Ronald Kessler|August 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
But there was a proviso in Wyckholme's bequest, just as there was in that of Skaggs.
The Man From Brodney's|George Barr McCutcheon
She will understand the spirit of this bequest and will feel free to take what she likes.
The Master's Violin|Myrtle Reed

The disposal of Miss Cynthia's bequest was much discussed in the village.
The Guardian Angel|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Some singular conditions were attached to this bequest by the Archbishop.
English Book Collectors|William Younger Fletcher
This was the life lived by this eminent jurist, and this the bequest given as an example to those who should come after him.
Makers and Romance of Alabama History|B. F. Riley

British Dictionary definitions for bequest

bequest

/ (bɪˈkwɛst) /

noun

the act of bequeathing
something that is bequeathed

law a gift of property by will, esp personal propertyCompare devise (def. 4), devise (def. 5)

Word Origin for bequest

C14: be- + Old English -cwiss degree; see bequeath

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