Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Having made no legal will: an intestate parent.
- adj. Not disposed of by a legal will: intestate lands.
- n. One who dies without a legal will.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Having made no will, or no valid will; having left property not effectually disposed of by will. The decedent is properly said to have died intestate as to any part of his property not so disposed of.
- Not disposed of by will; not legally devised or bequeathed: as, an intestate estate.
- n. A person dying without making a valid will, or leaving any property not effectually bequeathed.
Wiktionary
- adj. Without a valid will indicating whom to leave one's estate to after death.
- adj. Not devised or bequeathed; not disposed of by will.
- n. law A person who dies without making a valid will.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Without having made a valid will; without a will.
- adj. Not devised or bequeathed; not disposed of by will.
- n. (Law) A person who dies without making a valid will.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. having made no legally valid will before death or not disposed of by a legal will
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French intestat, from Latin intestātus : in-, not; see in-1 + testātus, testate, from past participle of testārī, to make a will; see testament. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“In the petition filed by Michael's parents to probate his estate, they claim he died "intestate" - without making a will.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“If you die without a will "intestate," in legalese, state law will determine how most of your belongings are distributed, and it may not be in the way you'd want.”
“If you die without a will "intestate," in legalese, state law will determine how most of your belongings are distributed, and it may not be in the way you'd want.”
“HERMAN: But Fred this is the issue here, she apparently intestate, meaning she died without a will.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘intestate’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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JURI - courtroom speak
Legal glossary with special focus on courtroom vocabulary
accused, acquittal, ADA, adjournment, adjudication, affidavit, affirmed, aggravated range, aggravating factors, allegation, alleged, answer and 794 more...
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Tristram Shandy
souse, meet, sententious, propound, boot, casuistry, avoirdupois, akimbo, disport, lenity, succussation, sweetbread and 160 more...
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JURI - matters of succession
authentic instrum..., basic instrument,..., capacity of heir, certificate of in..., certificate of su..., claimant, country of habitu..., declaration of will, descendants, disinherit one's ..., domicile of the c..., existing will and 45 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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Words That Mean Things
I found most of these words in books! That means they MUST be good.
flinders, periplus, palaver, midden, cadge, legerdemain, flense, lapidary, geas, bailey, susurration, satoris and 128 more...
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Vocab++
Words as I learn them.
fetid, mezzanine, hiatus, austerity, subliminal, resplendent, implacable, impugn, debase, exiguous, cirque, holster and 2538 more...
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Some Wednesday words
Just another arbitrary list of words that come up for me today, June 20 2007
tutelage, hobby horse, abracadabra, occipital, martinet, margarita, persona, cute, sharp, acute, confabulate, conspire and 97 more...
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lee_d's Words
neologism, epicaricacy, chillax, arrears, locution, ressentiment, facticity, glib, escritoire, epicurian, alacrity, arbitrageur and 150 more...
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ginnylev's Words
neuroplasticity, repudiate, scintilla, ruminate, tautology, ombudsman, exigent, filibuster, grace, ambidextrous, amends, disclosure and 623 more...
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botello360's list
ruminate, steel, bifurcation, arrivederci, portage, tactile, ruminant, rift, anecdotage, diacritic, cud, hull and 399 more...
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GRE uncommon
patronage, expletive, exhort, exegesis, execrable, excommunicate, evince, escarpment, ersatz, ergo, epoxy, snare and 1202 more...
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Words I thought I knew, but really di...
acclivity, adduce, adumbrate, animadversion, assonance, atavistic, bagatelle, bromide, buncombe, canard, categorical, cavil and 145 more...
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Words I Learned in Law School
intestate, ambit, panoply, scofflaw, chimerical, adumbrate, penury, vitiate, raiment, terpsichorean, precatory, novation and 15 more...
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Death
postmortem, antemortem, casketing, cadaveric, entombment, inurnment, casket coach, cremains, disinterment, epitaph, bequest, catacombs and 59 more...
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♥
These words I LIKE.
laconic, blackrom, yandere, sundry, equivocal, tetracycline, raze, scapegoat, impala, perspicacity, quandary, viscous and 34 more...
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