devised

[ dih-vahyzd ]

adjective

1. contrived, planned, invented, or designed:

   It’s a dark comedy about a couple of guys who embark on a poorly devised scheme to blackmail a local clergyman.

2. Theater. (of a play) having a script produced collaboratively by the performers rather than by a writer or playwright:

   Previous works of the Holwell Youth Troupe include a chilling ghost story and a devised piece on the topic of love.

3. Law. (of property) assigned or transmitted by will:

   When specifically devised property is no longer in the testator's estate, the beneficiary's gift fails.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of devise ( def ).

Other Words From

• self-de·vised adjective
• un·de·vised adjective
• well-de·vised adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of devised¹

devise ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Instead, they had devised their own methods, which included standing in the yard behind reversing vehicles.

From BBC

An offense devised by the great Sean McVay and engineered by the hot Matthew Stafford scored exactly zero touchdowns.

From Los Angeles Times

The note initially seemed too big to pull out the neck of the bottle so they devised a tool using two pieces of cable to twist it through the narrow opening.

From BBC

This time around, Trump has said he would only replace the landmark law if a better plan were devised.

From Los Angeles Times

But those ratios were originally devised for suburban development and are not as relevant for urban centers, said Will Klein, the director of park research for the Trust for Public Land.

From Los Angeles Times