bequeathed

[ bih-kweetht, -kweethd ]

adjective

1. (of personal property or money) disposed of by a person’s final will:

   The college has received a bequeathed gift of $1 million from one of its alumni.

2. handed down or passed on:

   The more conservative council members see traditional values as the bequeathed virtues of a preferred past.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of bequeath.

Other Words From

• un·be·queathed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bequeathed¹

First recorded in 1615–25; bequeath ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; bequeath ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

López Obrador – a hugely popular but controversial figure in Mexico – bequeathed more than just the presidential sash to his political protégé.

From BBC

Given that the Pence evidence is just the first of many headaches the justices bequeathed to Chutkan, the government argued that the district judge should decide all the immunity questions first.

From Los Angeles Times

It is very early days but so far Liverpool's transition from Klopp to Slot has been seamless, the Dutchman's task made so much easier by the groundwork of his great predecessor, allied to the quality of the squad bequeathed to him.

From BBC

As the plaintiffs’ case neared its conclusion in the sprawling lawsuit against the Department of Veteran Affairs, U.S District Judge David O. Carter wrestled out loud over what to do about leases the federal government signed for land on the VA’s West L.A. campus that was bequeathed more than a century ago for the use of veterans.

From Los Angeles Times

The Biden plan would repeal the step-up for heirs by levying the capital gains tax on the bequeathed asset, calculated from the original purchase and charged to the decedent’s estate.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• genetic
• inborn
• transmitted