devisor

9.9

A person who leaves land or a house to someone in their will

noun
/dɪˈvaɪzər/

Formal

: testador

The devisor clearly stated in her will that the property should go to her nephew.

Examples

Disputes often arise when the intentions of the devisor are ambiguous in the will.
A devisor can only leave real estate to a beneficiary, not personal property.
The devisor left all her assets to her children.
My grandfather was a generous devisor.
A devisor can only leave real estate to a beneficiary, not personal property.
Disputes often arise when the intentions of the devisor are ambiguous in the will.
The devisor clearly stated in her will that the property should go to her nephew.

Synonyms

disposer

vsdevisor

Formal

1 8.1

A person who has the power to sell or give away someone else's property

limits action to leaving real property after death instead of selling or transferring it

will-maker

vsdevisor

Specialized

4.6

A person who writes a will saying who gets their things after they die

focuses on leaving real property to others rather than all property

Surface Forms

devisor singular

devisors plural

Morphology

devisor = devise (semi-transparent) = devise + or

The agentive formation 'devise' + '-or' is regular, but the legal sense of 'devise' (to bequeath real property) is specialized and may be unknown to general learners.

Etymology

Devisor comes from the verb devise, which used to mean 'to divide' or 'give out' property in a will and is related to the common word divide. So a devisor is the person who divides and leaves real property to someone in their will.