codicil

American  

[kod-uh-suhl] / ˈkɒd ə səl /

noun

1. a supplement to a will, containing an addition, explanation, modification, etc., of something in the will.

2. any supplement; appendix.

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codicil British  

/ ˈkɒdɪsɪl, ˌkɒdɪˈsɪlərɪ /

noun

1. law a supplement modifying a will or revoking some provision of it

2. an additional provision; appendix

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Other Word Forms

• codicillary
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of codicil

1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin cōdicillus (in Latin, commonly in plural only), equivalent to Latin cōdic- (stem of cōdex ) codex + -illus diminutive suffix

Explanation

A codicil is a supplement to a will. If your will is already written and you want to alter it, you add a codicil. When your seemingly ancient neighbor marries a woman less than half his age, you might notice that his adult children suddenly stop coming to visit. This may be because he added a codicil to his will granting his new wife access to all his riches. Getting your inheritance in writing is a good idea, but a codicil can change everything.

Example Sentences

Will it make us say, “So this is why, throughout history, cheap thrills are always so tempting”? Codicil: Remember, the road to hell is always paved with more wild-card teams.

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2020

Mr. Appleton left a Will and Codicil, of which a few copies are printed for the use of his executors and legatees.

From The Will of Samuel Appleton with remarks by one of the executors by Appleton, Samuel

After making one, which, as Sir John Hawkins informs us, extended no further than the promised annuity, Johnson's final disposition of his property was established by a Will and Codicil.

From Boswell's Life of Johnson Abridged and edited, with an introduction by Charles Grosvenor Osgood by Osgood, Charles Grosvenor

CODICIL.—This is a Codicil to the last will and testament of me, the Right Honourable George Gordon, Lord Byron.

From Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 6 With His Letters and Journals by Moore, Thomas

On the outside was written "Codicil to the will of Stephen Verner."

From Verner's Pride by Wood, Henry, Mrs.