devise

American  

[dih-vahyz] / dɪˈvaɪz /

verb (used with object)

devised, devising

1. to contrive, plan, or elaborate; invent from existing principles or ideas.

   to devise a method.

2. Theater. to develop (a play) collaboratively with the performers.

   Based on the lives of women in engineering, the students devised the play themselves.

3. Law. to assign or transmit (property) by will.

4. Archaic. to imagine; suppose.

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verb (used without object)

devised, devising

1. to form a plan; contrive.

noun

1. Law.

   1. the act of disposing of property, especially real property, by will.

   2. a will or clause in a will disposing of property, especially real property.

   3. the property so disposed of.

devise British  

/ dɪˈvaɪz /

verb

1. to work out, contrive, or plan (something) in one's mind

2. (tr) law to dispose of (property, esp real property) by will

3. obsolete (tr) to imagine or guess

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noun

1. 1. a disposition of property by will

   2. the property so transmitted Compare bequeath

2. a will or clause in a will disposing of real property Compare bequest

Related Words

See prepare.

Other Word Forms

• deviser noun
• predevise verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of devise

First recorded in 1150–1200; (verb) Middle English devisen “to inspect, design, compose,” from Old French deviser, from unattested Vulgar Latin dēvīsāre, for unattested dīvīsāre, frequentative of Latin dīvidere “to divide” ( divide ); (noun) device

Example Sentences

Though the platform helped TerraSafe devise promising candidates, the company decided to end the effort to save money and focus on its main product line.

From The Wall Street Journal

That left executives working through the holidays to devise a complicated road back that wouldn’t alienate the players who had stayed all along.

From The Wall Street Journal

He suggested the U.S. could devise a scrapping system whereby shadow fleet operators pay a penalty to the U.S. government and the government puts conditions on the use of funds from the sale.

From The Wall Street Journal

A valuation metric devised by economist Robert Shiller, which compares the price of the S&P 500 to the past 10 years of inflation-adjusted earnings, has reached its highest levels since the dot-com bubble.

From The Wall Street Journal

Officials also are devising more modest options, which could include targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arrange
• come up with
• concoct
• construct
• craft
• create
• design
• discover
• forge
• formulate
• hatch
• invent
• mastermind
• prepare
• work out