legatee
/,legə'ti:/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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
- someone to whom a legacy is bequeathed