intestacy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of intestacy
First recorded in 1760–70; intest(ate) + -acy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In California, such challenges typically must be filed within months of the probate process starting; intestacy laws are the default inheritance process.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025
If you don’t have a will — called “dying intestate” — your assets are distributed by a probate court according to your state’s laws of intestacy.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 27, 2023
Who inherits the assets, including any property, if an heir dies before the parent depends upon intestacy statutes, which vary by state.
From Washington Post • May 16, 2019
Last month it emerged that the musician Prince died without a will - a situation known as intestacy.
From BBC • May 18, 2016
Provisions are set out in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas for the distribution of inheritance in the case of intestacy.
From The Kitáb-i-Aqdas by Bahá'u'lláh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
