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

Origin of intestate

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

Can be confusedinterstate 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 Formsintestacy, 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

Word Origin and History for intestate

intestate

adj.

late 14c., from Old French intestat (13c.) and directly from Latin intestatus "having made no will," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + testatus, past participle of testari "make a will, bear witness" (see testament). As a noun, "one who has not made out a will," from 1650s.