bequeath

[ bih-kweeth, -kweeth ]

verb (used with object)

1. to dispose of (personal property, especially money) by last will:

   She bequeathed her half of the company to her niece.

   Synonyms: consign, grant, bestow, leave, impart, will

2. to hand down; pass on.
3. Obsolete. to commit; entrust.

bequeath

/ bɪˈkwiːð; -ˈkwiːθ /

verb

1. law to dispose of (property, esp personal property) by will Compare devise
2. to hand down; pass on, as to following generations

Derived Forms

• beˈqueathal, noun
• beˈqueather, noun

Other Words From

• be·queath·a·ble adjective
• be·queath·al be·queath·ment noun
• be·queath·er noun
• un·be·queath·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bequeath¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bequethen, Old English becwethan ( be- be- + cwethan “to say” ( quoth ), cognate with Old High German quedan, Gothic qithan )

Word History and Origins

Origin of bequeath¹

Old English becwethan ; related to Old Norse kvetha to speak, Gothic qithan , Old High German quethan

Example Sentences

With an estimated worth of $60 million, Goldberg said in a spring episode that she plans to bequeath it all to her daughter, Alexandrea Martin.

From Salon

But Gachagua allied himself with William Ruto, Kenyatta’s then deputy, who was angling for the presidency that his boss did not want to bequeath to him.

From BBC

Q: Is there a place to which one can bequeath a Bonsai tree?

From Seattle Times

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny says Putin has led Russia down a strategic dead end towards ruin, building a brittle system of corrupt sycophants that will ultimately bequeath chaos rather than stability.

From Reuters

This is the importance of normative extinction: To bequeath the world to a poorly designed AGI would be just as catastrophic as if our species were to die out without leaving behind any successors at all.

From Salon

Related Words

• bestow
• entrust
• hand down
• impart
• pass on