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.

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Origin of intestate

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

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. 2020

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
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