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

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

Best known for his diaries, the tailor's son was also a bibliophile who bequeathed his large library to the University of Cambridge's Magdalene College.

From BBC

She died three years later, with Arnold at her side, which she bequeathed to the Clockmakers' Company museum.

From BBC

Related Words

• genetic
• inborn
• transmitted