Word
bequest
Phoneticsbe·quest
US/bɪˈkwɛst/
UK/bɪkwˈɛst/
Definitions
01a gift in a will
n. money or property that you give to a person or organization after you die.
n. a legacy of property or assets transferred to a beneficiary upon the owner's death according to a will.
“The local library received a generous bequest from a former teacher.”
“The university's research department was significantly expanded thanks to a multi-million dollar bequest from a prominent alumnus.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
Often used with the verbs 'leave' or 'make'.
Synonyms
02something handed down
n. something valuable, like a tradition or idea, that is passed from one generation to the next.
n. something handed down or transmitted from a predecessor or from the past.
“The freedom we enjoy today is a bequest from those who fought for it.”
“The philosopher viewed the scientific method as a vital intellectual bequest to future generations.”
Literary · Formal
Teaching tip
In this sense, 'legacy' is much more common in modern speech; 'bequest' adds a very formal, almost sacred tone.
03to leave by will
v. to officially give something to someone in a will.
v. to give or leave by will; to hand down through a legal document.
“He chose to bequest his entire art collection to the city museum.”
“The document specified how the patriarch intended to bequest his estates among his surviving kin.”
Archaic · Formal
Usage
The verb form is rare in modern English; 'bequeath' is the standard verb used today.
Real-World Examples
“People who leave charities donations, legacies and bequests in their wills make noticeable differences to organisations, no matter what the amount is, sector leaders say.” “According to expert Margareta Magnusson, it involves putting your life in order so that your relatives do not have to; from giving bequests to deciding how you wish to be remembered.” Etymology
From Middle English biqueste, bequeste (“will, testament, bequest”), from be + -quiste, queste (“saying, utterance, testament, will, legacy”), from Old English cwist, cwiss (“saying”) (compare Old English andcwiss, ġecwis, uncwisse, etc.), from Proto-Germanic kwissiz (“saying”), from Proto-Indo-European gʷet- (“to say”). Related to Old English andcwiss (“answer, reply”), Old English uncwisse (“dumb, mute”), Middle English bequethen (“to bequeath”). Not related to quest, which is from Latin. More at quoth, bequeath.
From Middle English biquesten, from the noun (see above).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/bequest