bequest

noun

be·​quest bi-ˈkwest 

bē-

1

: the act of giving or leaving something by will (see will entry 2 sense 1) : the act of bequeathing

established at the bequest of a local philanthropist

2

: something given or left by will or transmitted from the past : something bequeathed : legacy

made a bequest of his paintings to the museum

Synonyms

• birthright
• heritage
• inheritance
• legacy
• patrimony

Examples of bequest in a Sentence

He made a bequest of his paintings to the museum.

left small bequests to all of her nieces and nephews

Recent Examples on the Web

University of Washington At the University of Washington, a $45 million bequest from the estate of Stan and Alta Barer was received by the UW School of Law. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Under current rules, when a foreign gift or bequest is valued at more than $100,000 in any calendar year Form 3520 must be filed. —Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024

Fully 91% of wealthy collectors had works in their collections that were inherited or gifted through a will or other bequest, according to the survey. —Robert Frank, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2024

One of them is a tax on all wealth received over one's lifetime in the form of bequests and gifts. —Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2016

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, irregular from bequethen

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bequest

noun

be·​quest bi-ˈkwest 

1

: the action of bequeathing

2

: something given or left by a will

Legal Definition

bequest

noun

be·​quest bi-ˈkwest 

: an act of bequeathing

also : something bequeathed : legacy

— demonstrative bequest \ di-​ˈmän-​strə-​tiv-​ \

: a bequest of a particular amount of money or property to be distributed first from one source in the estate and then from other sources to the extent that the first is insufficient

— general bequest

: a bequest that is to be distributed from the general assets of the estate and that is not a particular thing

— specific bequest \ spə-​ˈsi-​fik-​ \

: a bequest of a particular item or part of an estate or that is payable only from a specified source in the estate and not from the general assets