intestate

[ in-tes-teyt, -tit ]

/ ɪnˈtɛs teɪt, -tɪt /

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.

Nearby words

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

Origin of intestate

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

Can be confused

interstate intestate intrastate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for intestate

If any children of the intestate are dead, how does it descend?
The Government Class Book|Andrew W. Young
Hinc subit mortes atque intestata senectus—Hence 45 (from sensual indulgence) sudden deaths and intestate old age.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
This distinction was abolished by the Intestate Estates Act 1884.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 5|Various
The first question a lawyer always asks is, "Did the deceased die testate or intestate?"
Commercial Law|Samuel Williston, Richard D. Currier, and Richard W. Hill

Intestate property should descend in equal shares to children of both sexes.
The Critical Period of American History|John Fiske

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

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