intestate

[ in-tes-teyt, -tit ]

/ ɪnˈtɛs teɪt, -tɪt /

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adjective

(of a person) not having made a will: to die intestate.

(of things) not disposed of by will: Her property remains intestate.

noun

a person who dies intestate.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of intestate

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin intestātus, equivalent to in-in-³ + testātustestate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH intestate

interstate, intestate , intrastate

Words nearby intestate

interweb, interwind, interwork, intestable, intestacy, intestate, intestinal, intestinal amebiasis, intestinal anastomosis, intestinal angina, intestinal artery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use intestate in a sentence

If a man die intestate, having no natural heirs, his property shall pass to the nearest agnate.
The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States|James Hamilton Lewis
When a father dies intestate, his property is equally divided among his children, without respect to sex or seniority.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No. 393, July 1848|Various
He held that the children took the same shares as if their father died intestate.
The Curiosities and Law of Wills|John Proffatt
You'll see he will die intestate, and everything will go to Harry.
Notwithstanding|Mary Cholmondeley

Everything except in name was hers already—if Dick had died intestate.
Notwithstanding|Mary Cholmondeley

British Dictionary definitions for intestate

intestate

/ (ɪnˈtɛsteɪt, -tɪt) /

adjective

(of a person) not having made a will
(of property) not disposed of by will

noun

a person who dies without having made a will

Compare testate

Derived forms of intestate

intestacy, noun

Word Origin for intestate

C14: from Latin intestātus, from in- 1 + testātus, from testārī to bear witness, make a will, from testis a witness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012