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

Other Word Forms

• bequeathal noun
• bequeather noun
• bequeathable adjective
• bequeathment noun
• unbequeathable 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

Brandi Schmitt is director of the anatomical donation programme at the University of California, a popular destination for people wishing to bequeath their bodies.

From BBC

It takes time for newly-elected presidents to assemble their cabinet, cue up a legislative program, address the problems — or coast on the economic health — bequeathed them by their predecessors.

From Los Angeles Times

“When you lose someone you love, they bequeath you something, a gift.”

From Salon

The ascent of Benson Boone, with his mustache and his backflips, suggests that Jackman may yet find inheritors to carry on the tradition he himself was bequeathed by Diamond and the rest.

From Los Angeles Times

“Hey, supervisor!” — as he strode past Town Hall to Imagination Park, a gift the city’s most famous resident, filmmaker George Lucas, bequeathed along with life-sized statues of Yoda and Indiana Jones.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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