bequeath

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English biquethen, from Old English becweþan (“to say, to speak, to address, exhort, admonish, blame, bequeath, leave by will”), equivalent to be- +‎ quethe. Cognate with Old Frisian biquetha.

PronunciationEdit

(UK) IPA^(key): /bɪˈkwiːθ/, /bɪˈkwiːð/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Hyphenation: be‧queath
Rhymes: -iːð, -iːθ

VerbEdit

bequeath (third-person singular simple present bequeaths, present participle bequeathing, simple past bequeathed or (obsolete) bequoth, past participle bequeathed or (rare) bequethen or (obsolete) bequothen)

(law) To give or leave by will; to give by testament.
To hand down; to transmit.
- 1964 May, “News and Comment: Minister hamstrings BR workshops”, in Modern Railways, page 291:
  Ownership of manufacturing workshops is not essential to that job; but BR happen to have been bequeathed a considerable number with a proud history.
To give; to offer; to commit.

Usage notesEdit

(give or leave by will): The verb bequeath is usually used of personal property; for real property, the term devise is preferred (hence the phrase give, devise, and bequeath).

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

to give or leave by will

Azerbaijani: Miras buraxmaq, Miras qoymaq
Armenian: կտակել (hy) (ktakel)
Belarusian: завяшча́ць impf or pf (zavjaščácʹ), адпі́сваць impf (adpísvacʹ), адпіса́ць pf (adpisácʹ), адка́зваць impf (adkázvacʹ), адказа́ць pf (adkazácʹ)
Bulgarian: завеща́вам (bg) (zaveštávam)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 遺贈／遗赠 (zh) (yízèng)
Dutch: nalaten (nl), overdragen (nl), legateren (nl)
Finnish: testamentata, jättää (fi) (+ optional perinnöksi)
French: léguer (fr), transmettre (fr)
Galician: mandar (gl), legar
German: (something) hinterlassen (de), vererben (de), vermachen (de), aussetzen (de), übermachen, vergaben (de)
Hungarian: hagyományoz (hu), örökül hagy (hu), ráhagy (hu)
Icelandic: arfleiða
Ido: legacar (io)
Italian: legare (it), lasciare in eredità
Japanese: 遺す (ja) (のこす, nokosu)
Luxembourgish: verierwen, hannerloossen
Maori: whakaheke, wira
Middle English: biquethen
Occitan: legar (oc)
Old Frisian: biqathan
Polish: zapisywać (pl) impf, zapisać (pl) pf
Portuguese: legar (pt)
Russian: завеща́ть (ru) impf or pf (zaveščátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: zaveštati (sh) pf
Spanish: heredar (es), legar (es), dejar (es), ceder (es)
Swahili: -rithisha
Swedish: testamentera (sv), efterlämna, lämna i arv
Turkish: mirasla bırakmak, vasiyetle bırakmak
Ukrainian: завіща́ти impf or pf (zaviščáty), відпи́сувати impf (vidpýsuvaty), відписа́ти pf (vidpysáty), відка́зувати impf (vidkázuvaty), відказа́ти pf (vidkazáty)
West Frisian: bekwathan (archaic)

to hand down; to transmit

Dutch: doorgeven (nl), overleveren (nl)
Finnish: luovuttaa (fi), jättää (fi) (+ optional perinnöksi), jättää jälkipolville
French: transmettre (fr), passer (fr)
German: (jemandem etwas) hinterlassen (de), vermachen (de), testamentarisch hinterlassen, übergeben (de), weiterreichen (de)
Hungarian: hagyományoz (hu), örökül hagy (hu), ráhagy (hu)
Italian: trasmettere (it), tramandare (it)
Maori: whakaheke, waiho iho
Middle English: biquethen
Portuguese: legar (pt), transmitir (pt)
Spanish: transmitir (es), conferir (es), pasar (es), legar (es)
Turkish: vasiyet etmek (tr)

to give; to offer; to commit

Dutch: aanbieden (nl)
Finnish: luovuttaa (fi), jättää (fi)
French: donner (fr), offrir (fr)
German: überlassen (de), abgeben (de), anbieten (de), geben (de), anbieten (de), anvertrauen (de), übergeben (de)
Italian: donare (it), offrire (it)
Middle English: biquethen
Spanish: dar (es), otorgar (es), confiar (es)