Be*queath" (b&esl;*kwē&thlig;"), v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Bequeathed (&?;); p. pr. &
vb. n. Bequeathing.] [OE. biquethen, AS.
becweðan to say, affirm, bequeath; pref. be- +
cweðan to say, speak. See Quoth.] 1.
To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially of
personal property.
My heritage, which my dead father did bequeath to
me.
Shak.
2. To hand down; to transmit.
To bequeath posterity somewhat to remember it.
Glanvill.
3. To give; to offer; to commit. [Obs.]
To whom, with all submission, on my knee
I do bequeath my faithful services
And true subjection everlastingly.
Shak.
Syn. -- To Bequeath, Devise. Both these words
denote the giving or disposing of property by will. Devise, in legal
usage, is property used to denote a gift by will of real property, and he
to whom it is given is called the devisee. Bequeath is
properly applied to a gift by will or legacy; i. e., of personal
property; the gift is called a legacy, and he who receives it is
called a legatee. In popular usage the word bequeath is
sometimes enlarged so as to embrace devise; and it is sometimes so
construed by courts.
