Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having made no legal will.
  • adjective Not disposed of by a legal will.
  • noun One who dies without a legal will.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Having made no will, or no valid will; having left property not effectually disposed of by will.
  • Not disposed of by will; not legally devised or bequeathed: as, an intestate estate.
  • noun A person dying without making a valid will, or leaving any property not effectually bequeathed.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Law) A person who dies without making a valid will.
  • adjective Without having made a valid will; without a will.
  • adjective Not devised or bequeathed; not disposed of by will.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Without a valid will indicating whom to leave one's estate to after death.
  • adjective Not devised or bequeathed; not disposed of by will.
  • noun law A person who dies without making a valid will.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having made no legally valid will before death or not disposed of by a legal will

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French intestat, from Latin intestātus : in-, not; see in– + testātus, testate, from past participle of testārī, to make a will; see testament.]

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Examples

  • This removed land in intestate estates from the repercussions of primogeniture and stipulated a division along the same lines as chattels: one-third to the widow for her lifetime, ultimately to devolve to the children of the marriage; two-thirds equally divided among the children.

    Gutenber-e Help Page 2005

  • Even before the passage of the Chattels Real Act, however, southern Avalon courts had tended to favor the distribution of real property in intestate estates as chattels real.

    Gutenber-e Help Page 2005

  • Declaring that primogeniture and impartible inheritance were inappropriate for Newfoundland circumstances, the act provided that real property in intestate estates should be distributed, like personal property, as chattel interests.

    Gutenber-e Help Page 2005

  • In the petition filed by Michael's parents to probate his estate, they claim he died "intestate" - without making a will.

    The Bosh 2009

  • If your husband died intestate, that is, without a will, then a court will decide what you get and what your children, or his mother, will receive.

    Illness doesn't mean relatives can rush to lay claim on house and avoid Medicaid Ilyce R. Glink 2010

  • If your husband died intestate, that is, without a will, then a court will decide what you get and what your children, or his mother, will receive.

    Illness doesn't mean relatives can rush to lay claim on house and avoid Medicaid Ilyce R. Glink 2010

  • Even at the very end of the period, probably less than five percent of the persons who died in the typical county, in any one year, left wills that passed through probate.43 Even fewer of those who died intestate, that is, without wills, left estates that were formally administered.

    A History of American Law Lawrence M. Friedman 1985

  • Even at the very end of the period, probably less than five percent of the persons who died in the typical county, in any one year, left wills that passed through probate.43 Even fewer of those who died intestate, that is, without wills, left estates that were formally administered.

    A History of American Law Lawrence M. Friedman 1985

  • Even at the very end of the period, probably less than five percent of the persons who died in the typical county, in any one year, left wills that passed through probate.43 Even fewer of those who died intestate, that is, without wills, left estates that were formally administered.

    A History of American Law Lawrence M. Friedman 1985

  • "With your parents dead intestate, that is, without leaving a will, and your nearest relative perfectly willing and able to assume guardianship, you cannot legally remain with-these people."

    The Gates Of Sleep Lackey, Mercedes 2002

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