bequeath v : leave or give by will after one's death; "My aunt bequeathed me all her jewelry"; "My grandfather left me his entire estate" [syn: will, leave] [ant: disinherit]

Bequeath \Be*queath"\ (b[-e]*kw[=e][th]"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bequeathed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bequeathing.] [OE. biquethen, AS. becwe[eth]an to say, affirm, bequeath; pref. be- + cwe[eth]an to say, speak. See Quoth.]
1. To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially of personal property. My heritage, which my dead father did bequeath to me. --Shak.
2. To hand down; to transmit. To bequeath posterity somewhat to remember it. --Glanvill.
3. To give; to offer; to commit. [Obs.] To whom, with all submission, on my knee I do bequeath my faithful services And true subjection everlastingly. --Shak. Syn: To Bequeath, Devise. Usage: Both these words denote the giving or disposing of property by will. Devise, in legal usage, is property used to denote a gift by will of real property, and he to whom it is given is called the devisee. Bequeath is properly applied to a gift by will or legacy; i. e., of personal property; the gift is called a legacy, and he who receives it is called a legatee. In popular usage the word bequeath is sometimes enlarged so as to embrace devise; and it is sometimes so construed by courts.

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A bequest is the act of receiving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."

(From Old English becwethan, to declare or express in words; cf. "quoth")

Part of the process of probate involves interpreting the instructions in a will. Some wordings that define the scope of a bequest have specific interpretations. "All the estate I own" would involve all of the decedent's possessions at the moment of death.

A conditional bequest is a bequest which will only be granted if a particular event has occurred by the time of its operation. For example, a testator might write in their will that "Mary will receive the house held in trust if she is married" or "...if she has children," etc.

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