Bequeath Meaning
/bɪˈkwiːθ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo give or leave by will; to give by testament.
verbTo hand down; to transmit.
Sentence Examples
She will bequeath her estate to charity.
He chose to bequeath his wealth to family.
He decided to bequeath his collection of books to the local library.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In her will, she decided to ____ her entire estate to her niece.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wealthy man decided to ____ his whole library to the city university.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English biquethen, from Old English becweþan (“to say, to speak, to address, exhort, admonish, blame, bequeath, leave by will”). Cognate with Old Frisian biquetha.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Ownership of manufacturing workshops is not essential to that job; but BR happen to have been bequeathed a considerable number with a proud history."
— 1964 May, “News and Comment: Minister hamstrings BR workshops”, in Modern Railways, page 291:
"First Xavier (Vernon Chatman): Looks like I already did. You're the sad figment of my twisted psyche's tragic dividend. You're the un-me. I'm the real me. You wanna be me?
Second Xavier (Vernon Chatman): Kiddo, I was the real me when you were still in my short pants.
First Xavier: Hate to break it to you, but I wore them first. Me bequeathed thee the psychopathological hand-you-down.
Second Xavier: So you're the one who stained them!!
First Xavier: Whoever found it, browned it."
— 2008, Xavier: Renegade Angel, season 1, episode 10:
"The queen’s longevity always meant that Charles’s reign would be relatively short and therefore one of his most important tasks would be to bequeath the institution to Prince William in reasonable repair."
— 2025 October 30, Robert Booth, “Not in this together: King Charles cuts Andrew loose to save royal family’s repute”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
"These young gay men and lesbians were more militant and began to reject advice from the homophile movement to try to "fit into" society, not to make waves, and to rely on professionals and establishment figures to bequeath them social rights."
— 2006 March 26, Leslie Feinberg, “'Gay is good'”, in Workers World:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In her will, she decided to ____ her entire estate to her niece.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wealthy man decided to ____ his whole library to the city university.