Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who receives a legacy: A legatee is someone who is named in a will to inherit a specific item, sum of money, or property (a legacy) from the estate of a deceased person.

Usage

• The term "legatee" is used in legal and formal contexts, specifically concerning wills and inheritance.
• It refers to the recipient of a specific bequest, not necessarily the sole or principal heir of the entire estate.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The will named his niece as the sole legatee of his valuable art collection.
  • As a legatee, she received a fixed sum of money from her grandfather's estate.

Advanced Usage

• "Residuary legatee": A legatee who inherits the remainder of the estate after all specific bequests, debts, and expenses have been paid.
  • After all specific gifts were distributed, his son, as the residuary legatee, received the balance of the estate.

Variants and Related Words

• Legacy (n): The specific gift of money or property left to a legatee in a will.
  • He left a legacy of $10,000 to his alma mater.
• Bequest (n): A synonym for "legacy"; the act of bequeathing or the item bequeathed.
  • The charitable bequest was the largest in the will.
• Beneficiary (n): A broader term for anyone who benefits from a will, trust, or insurance policy, which can include a legatee.
  • The beneficiaries of the trust included several family members and charities.

Synonyms

• Heir: A person entitled to inherit property, especially by law upon the death of an ancestor. (Note: An heir inherits by law; a legatee inherits by will.)
• Devisee: A person who receives real property (land or buildings) through a will. (This is a specific type of legatee for real estate.)
• Recipient: A general term for someone who receives something.

Antonyms

• Testator (male) / Testatrix (female): The person who makes and leaves a will.
• Bequeather: One who bequeaths a legacy.

Noun

1. someone to whom a legacy is bequeathed