bequest

[ bih-kwest ]
/ bɪˈkwɛst /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bequest ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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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 bequethenbequeath

Words nearby bequest

plugged in, be, Be Prepared, put to it, be, put upon, be, bequeath, bequest, berachah, berakah, berakhah, Béranger, Berar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to bequest

endowment, inheritance, settlement, legacy, estate, gift, devise, dower, bestowal, heritage, trust, devisal, bequeathal, bequeathment

Example sentences from the Web for bequest

British Dictionary definitions for bequest

bequest
/ (bɪˈkwɛst) /

noun

  1. the act of bequeathing
  2. 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