bequest

[ bih-kwest ]

noun

1. a disposition in a will.
2. a legacy:

   A small bequest allowed her to live independently.

bequest

/ bɪˈkwɛst /

noun

1. 1. the act of bequeathing
   2. something that is bequeathed
2. law a gift of property by will, esp personal property Compare devise devise

Word History and Origins

Origin of bequest¹

1250–1300; Middle English biqueste, biquyste, equivalent to bi- be- + quiste will, bequest, Old English -cwis ( se ) (with excrescent t, as in behest ), noun derivative of cwethan to say; on the model of bequethen bequeath

Word History and Origins

Origin of bequest¹

C14: be- + Old English -cwiss degree; see bequeath

Example Sentences

In 2013 it emerged that Joan Edwards, a retired midwife from Bristol, had left a £520,000 bequest to "whichever government is in office at the date of my death for the government in their absolute discretion to use as they may think fit".

From BBC

The Conservatives also recorded a surplus of £17.9m, helped by a £10m bequest in the will of supermarket tycoon Lord John Sainsbury.

From BBC

But for the Orlando Museum of Art, which recently received a $1.8 million bequest from the estate of Margaret Young, that gift couldn’t have come at a better time.

From New York Times

The $1.8 million bequest could go a long way toward easing the museum’s financial woes.

From New York Times

But Ms. Young, who was an artist herself, said her bequest could only be used to buy artwork for the museum’s permanent collection, not for operating expenses like employee salaries or the museum’s growing legal bills.

From New York Times

Related Words

• endowment
• inheritance