bequest

From Middle English biqueste, bequeste (“will, testament, bequest”), from Middle English be- + Middle English quiste, queste (“saying, utterance, testament, will, legacy”), from Old English *cwist, *cwiss (“saying”) (compare Old English andcwis, ġecwis, uncwisse, etc.), from Proto-Germanic *kwissiz (“saying”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷet- (“to say”). Related to Old English andcwiss (“answer, reply”), Old English uncwisse (“dumb, mute”), Middle English bequethen (“to bequeath”). More at quoth, bequeath.

bequest (plural bequests)

1. The act of bequeathing or leaving by will.
2. The transfer of property upon the owner's death according to the will of the deceased.
3. That which is left by will; a legacy.
4. That which has been handed down or transmitted.
5. A person's inheritance; an amount of property given by will.

• legacy
• gift
• donation

From Middle English biquesten, from the noun (see above).

bequest (third-person singular simple present bequests, present participle bequesting, simple past and past participle bequested)

1. (transitive) To give as a bequest; bequeath.