holographic will

American  

noun

Law.

1. a will that is entirely in the handwriting of the testator: in some states recognized as valid without the attestation of witnesses.

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Etymology

Origin of holographic will

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Holmes recalled that Hughes told him that he had written a holographic will, a last testament whose unwitnessed authenticity rests on identifying the handwriting of the author.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was at this time that Alfred Moss removed George Washington’s holographic will from Fairfax Courthouse to take it to Richmond for safekeeping for the duration of the war.

From Green Spring Farm Fairfax County, Virginia by Netherton, Nan

Being an holographic will, under the law of Louisiana it required no witness.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various