bequeath

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.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɪˈkwiːθ/, /bɪˈkwiːð/

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• Hyphenation: be‧queath
• Rhymes: -iːθ, -iːð

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)

1. (law) To give or leave by will; to give by testament.
2. 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.

3. To give; to offer; to commit.
   • 2006 March 26, Leslie Feinberg, “'Gay is good'”, in Workers World‎:

     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.

• (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).

• quethe
• quoth
• bequest