bequeath
Use Bequeath in a sentence
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.
2.
to hand down; pass on.
3.
Obsolete. to commit; entrust.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English bequethen, Old English becwethan (be- be- + cwethan to say (see quoth), cognate with Old High German quedan, Gothic qithan)
before 1000; Middle English bequethen, Old English becwethan (be- be- + cwethan to say (see quoth), cognate with Old High German quedan, Gothic qithan)
Related forms
be·queath·a·ble, adjective
be·queath·al, be·queath·ment, noun
be·queath·er, noun
un·be·queath·a·ble, adjective
un·be·queathed, adjective
Synonyms
1. will, impart, leave, bestow, grant, consign.
1. will, impart, leave, bestow, grant, consign.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To bequeath
00:10
Bequeath
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to flee; abscond: |
Collins
World English Dictionary
bequeath (bɪˈkwiːð, -ˈkwiːθ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | law Compare devise to dispose of (property, esp personal property) by will |
| 2. | to hand down; pass on, as to following generations |
| [Old English becwethan; related to Old Norse kvetha to speak, Gothic qithan, Old High German quethan] | |
| be'queather | |
| —n | |
| be'queathal | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
bequeath
O.E. becweðan "to say, speak to, exhort, blame," also "leave by will;" from be- + cweðan "to say," from P.Gmc. *kwethanan, from PIE *gwel-. Original sense of "say, utter" died out 13c., leaving legal sense of "transfer by will." Closely related to
bequest. "An old word kept alive in wills" [OED 1st ed.]. O.E. bequeðere meant "interpreter, translator."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
One generation will bequeath the idea to the next, and some day fanaticism or reason will accomplish it.
He now plans to bequeath them a relatively modest amount.
It would be a mistake to bequeath to them a nation crippled by debt.
There were too many people to acknowledge, to thank, to bequeath final bouquets.
Matching Quote
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
