intestacy

[in-tes-tuh-see]

noun

the state or fact of being intestate at death.

Origin of intestacy

First recorded in 1760–70; intest(ate) + -acy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for intestacy

Historical Examples of intestacy

All questions of testacy or intestacy belong to the judge of the domicile.
The Curiosities and Law of Wills
John Proffatt
But after the time of Solon among the Athenians it was limited to cases of intestacy.
Ancient Society
Lewis Henry Morgan
The dead man's universal successor, however he became so, whether by Will or by Intestacy, was his Heir.
Ancient Law
Sir Henry James Sumner Maine
These “ground rents” are real estate, and, in cases of intestacy, go to the heir.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5
Various
Copyright passes by bequest or on intestacy to the executors or administrators of the owner.
A Treatise Upon the Law of Copyright in the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the Crown,
E. J. MacGillivray

Word Origin and History for intestacy

n.

1767, from intestate + -acy.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper