Definition of bequest
1 : the act of giving or leaving something by will (see 2will 6) : 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
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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 of bequest from the Web
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A slew of deductions including charitable bequests, among other loopholes, bring down the taxable value of the estate reduce the effective tax rate.
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The show was organized by James Meyer, a curator at Washington, D.C.’s National Gallery of Art, where Virginia Dwan made a bequest of about 100 works from her own collection four years ago.
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These Moebius strip rings were crafted and 3D-printed in metal by Shapeways at Wired’s bequest.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bequest'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of bequest
Middle English, irregular from bequethen
First Known Use: 14th century
Other Legal Terms
BEQUEST Defined for English Language Learners
bequest
playDefinition of bequest for English Language Learners
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: the property or money that you promise in your will to give to another person or organization after you die
BEQUEST Defined for Kids
bequest
playDefinition of bequest for Students
1 : the act of leaving property by means of a will
2 : something given or left by a will
Law Dictionary
bequest
playLegal Definition of bequest
: 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
Learn More about bequest
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See words that rhyme with bequest Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bequest Spanish Central: Translation of bequest Nglish: Translation of bequest for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bequest for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bequest
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