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Meaning & use

devisee

noun·Advancedlegal

Last updated

UK/ˌdevɪˈziː/
US/ˌdevəˈziː/

Meaning

  1. nouncountablelegal

    The person a will names to receive land or a building when the owner dies.

    Grammar: Used with of for the property: the devisee of the farm.

    Patterns

    • the devisee of something
    • a devisee under a will

    The court confirmed her as the sole devisee of the family farm.

    As devisee of the cottage, he became responsible for the property taxes.

    The will named three devisees, each receiving a parcel of land.

Word forms

pluraldevisees

Common combinations

the sole devisee
The widow was the sole devisee under the will.
a devisee under the will
Each devisee under the will received a share of the land.
the devisee of the property
The devisee of the property must pay the inheritance tax.
a residuary devisee
The residuary devisee received whatever land was not specifically named.
name a devisee
The owner chose to name his niece as devisee.

Synonyms and how they differ

beneficiary
Beneficiary is the broader word for anyone who gains from a will or trust, whatever the gift, while devisee is restricted to land and buildings.
heir
Heir often means someone who inherits by law or family line and not necessarily because a will named them, so it is less exact than devisee.
legatee
Legatee is the person who receives personal property such as money or jewelry under a will, whereas a devisee receives real property.
inheritor
Inheritor is an everyday word for anyone who inherits something, and unlike devisee it has no legal precision.

Word family

devise verb
to leave real property to someone in a will
devise noun
a gift of land or buildings in a will
devisor noun
the person who leaves real property in a will
devisable adjective
able to be left to someone by will

Commonly confused: devisee or legatee? devisee or devisor?

devisee vs legatee

A legatee receives personal property, such as money, furniture or jewelry. A devisee receives land or buildings.

devisee vs devisor

The devisor gives the property in the will, and the devisee receives it. The endings -or and -ee mark the giver and the receiver.

Practice

Maria was named in her uncle's will to receive his house, which makes her the ___ of the house.

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