bequeath

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /bɪˈkwiːθ/, /bɪˈkwiːð/
Hyphenation: be‧queath
Rhymes: -iːð or Rhymes: -iːθ

Verb

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

(law) To give or leave by will; to give by testament.
To hand down; to transmit.
To give; to offer; to commit.

Usage notes

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

Related terms

quethe
quoth
bequest

Translations

to give or leave by will

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 (zh), 遗赠 (zh) (yízèng)
Dutch: nalaten (nl), overdragen (nl), legateren (nl)
Finnish: testamentata
French: léguer (fr), transmettre (fr)
German: (something) hinterlassen (de), vererben (de)
Icelandic: arfleiða
Italian: legare (it), lasciare in eredità
Japanese: 遺す (のこす, nokosu)
Luxembourgish: verierwen, hannerloossen

Maori: whakaheke, wira
Occitan: legar
Old Frisian: biqathan
Polish: zapisywać (pl) impf, zapisać (pl) pf
Portuguese: legar (pt)
Russian: завеща́ть (ru) impf or pf (zaveščátʹ)
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)
French: transmettre (fr), passer (fr)
German: (jemandem etwas) hinterlassen (de), vermachen (de), testamentarisch hinterlassen
Italian: trasmettere (it), tramandare (it)

Maori: whakaheke, waiho iho
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)
French: donner (fr), offrir (fr)

German: überlassen (de), abgeben (de), anbieten (de)
Italian: donare (it), offrire (it)
Spanish: dar (es), otorgar (es), confiar (es)