Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| adeem | to cancel a bequest by destruction of the thing bequeathed. |
| ademption | the revoking by testator, donor, etc., of a legacy, donation, etc., by previously paying a sum or parting with the object bequeathed. |
| apparent | seeming > APPARENTLY; (noun, Shakesp.) an heir-apparent > APPARENTS. |
| bequeath | to grant by testament. |
| bequeather | one who bequeaths. |
| bequest | a legacy. |
| codicil | a supplement to a will. [L. codicillus, dim. of codex]. |
| coexecutor | a joint executor. |
| coheir | a joint heir; one of two or more heirs. |
| coheiress | a joint heiress. |
| coheritor | a joint heir; one of two or more heirs. |
| coparcenary coparcenery | joint heirship or ownership. |
| coparcener | one who has an equal portion with others of an inheritance. |
| curtesy | the lifetime right of a husband to a deceased wife's property. |
| cypres | the legal doctrine of applying money left for a charity to an object as close as possible to the original when the original is impractical > CYPRESES. |
| demise | to give to a successor; to bequeath by will. |
| devastavit | waste or misapplication of the assets of a deceased person by an executor or an administrator. |
| devisal | the act of devising or bequeathing real property (as contrasted with personal property). |
| devisee | one to whom property is bequeathed in a will. |
| devisor | one who devises, or gives real estate by will; a testator. |
| disentail | to free from entailment. |
| disherison | the act of disheriting. |
| disherit disinherit | to deprive of an inheritance. |
| disheritor | one who puts another out of his inheritance. |
| disponee | the person to whom any property is legally conveyed. |
| entail | to settle an estate on a series of heirs, so that the immediate possessor may not dispose of it. |
| entailer | one who ENTAILS (an estate). |
| entailment | the act of entailing or of giving, as an estate, and directing the mode of descent. |
| escheat | the reversion of property to the state or crown in case of no legal heirs; property that has reverted to the crown; (verb) to make an escheat of; hand over as an escheat to or into. |
| escheatage | the right of succeeding to an ESCHEAT. |
| escheatment | forfeiture of property to state for lack of heir. |
| esnecy | the eldest daughter's right of first choice in dividing an inheritance. |
| excheat | = ESCHEAT, property that falls to the state or feudal lord for lack of an heir. |
| executor | one who administrates a will. |
| executress executrix | a woman exercising the functions of an EXECUTOR. The pl. of EXECUTRIX is EXECUTRICES or EXECUTRIXES. |
| exheredate | to disinherit. |
| gavelkind | a system of land inheritance by all sons equally, rather than by the eldest son. |
| haeres heres | an heir > HAEREDES, HEREDES. |
| heir | one who inherits; (verb) to inherit. |
| heirdom | the state of an heir; succession by inheritance. |
| heiress | a female inheritor. |
| heirless | destitute of an heir. |
| heirloom | an inherited possession. |
| heirship | the state, character, or privileges of an heir; right of inheriting. |
| hereditament | inheritance; hereditable property. |
| hereditariness | the state of being HEREDITARY. |
| hereditary | genetically transmitted or transmittable from parent to offspring. |
| heres | see HAERES. |
| heretrix heritrix | a heiress > HERETRIXES or HERETRICES, HERITRIXES or HERITRICES. |
| heritability | the state of being heritable. |
| heritable | capable of being inherited or of passing by inheritance > HERITABLY. |
| heritage | something that is inherited. |
| heritress | an heiress, a female heir. |
| heritrix | see HERETRIX. |
| inherit | to receive by legal succession. |
| inheritable | capable of being inherited or of passing by inheritance > INHERITABLY. |
| inheritableness | the state of being INHERITABLE. |
| inheritor | one who inherits. |
| inheritress | a female INHERITOR. |
| inheritrix | a female inheritor > INHERITRICES or INHERITRIXES. |
| intestacy | the condition or fact of dying without having made a will. |
| intestate | not having made a will. |
| jointress jointuress | a woman who has a JOINTURE. |
| jointure | the settlement of a husband's estate on his wife to become effective on his death; (verb) to settle a JOINTURE on. |
| jointuress | see JOINTRESS. |
| legacy | something bequeathed. |
| legatary | a person to whom a bequest is left; a LEGATEE. |
| legatee | one to whom a legacy is bequeathed. |
| legator | a testator; one who bequeaths a legacy. |
| legatorial | like a LEGATOR. |
| legitim | the portion of movable estate to which the children are entitled upon the death of the father. |
| majorat | the right of succession to property according to age; -- so termed in some of the countries of continental Europe. |
| nuncupative nuncupatory | of a will or testament: declared orally. |
| parcenary | the state of being a PARCENER, coheirship. |
| parcener | a COHEIR, or one of two or more persons to whom an estate of inheritance descends jointly, and by whom it is held as one estate. |
| patrimony | an inheritance from one's father or ancestors. |
| preterition | the act of passing over or omitting; the omission by a testator of some one of his entitled heirs, thus invalidating the will. |
| primogenit | a first-born. |
| primogenitive | primogeniture. |
| primogeniture | the principle of inheritance by the eldest child. |
| probate | to obtain probate of, prove (a will). |
| residuary | consisting of residue; as, residuary matter. |
| reversioner | person entitled to receive an estate after the reversion (grant) runs out. |
| revertible | capable of being reverted; as, a revertible estate. |
| secundogeniture | a custom whereby the second-oldest child inherits property. |
| tail taillie tailye tailzie | an entailment or deed whereby the legal course of succession is cut off, and an arbitrary one substituted. |
| testacy | the state of being testate. |
| testament | that which testifies; a will. |
| testate | one who has made and left a valid will. |
| testator | a (male) person who leaves a valid will at death. |
| testatrix | a (female) person who leaves a valid will at death > TESTATRIXES or TESTATRICES. |
| trustee | to act as a trustee. |
| trusteeship | the office of TRUSTEE. |
| willable | that can be willed or disposed of by will. |