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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. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for intestate

British Dictionary definitions for intestate

intestate
/ (ɪnˈtɛsteɪt, -tɪt) /

adjective

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

noun

a person who dies without having made a will
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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
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