bequest
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English biqueste, bequeste (“will, testament, bequest”), from Middle English be- + Middle English quiste, queste (“saying, utterance, testament, will, legacy”), from Old English *cwist, *cwiss (“saying”) (compare Old English andcwis, ġecwis, uncwisse, etc.), from Proto-Germanic *kwissiz (“saying”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷet- (“to say”). Related to Old English andcwiss (“answer, reply”), Old English uncwisse (“dumb, mute”), Middle English bequethen (“to bequeath”). More at quoth, bequeath.
Noun
bequest (plural bequests)
- The act of bequeathing or leaving by will.
- The transfer of property upon the owner's death according to the will of the deceased.
- That which is left by will; a legacy.
- That which has been handed down or transmitted.
- A person's inheritance; an amount of property given by will.
Translations
will of the deceased
|
a person's inheritance
Etymology 2
From Middle English biquesten, from the noun (see above).
Verb
bequest (third-person singular simple present bequests, present participle bequesting, simple past and past participle bequested)
- (transitive) To give as a bequest; bequeath.
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