residuary

9.3

Left after debts and gifts are paid in a will

adjective
/rɪˈzɪdʒuˌɛri/

Formal

: residual

In her will, she specified that the residuary assets should go to charity after her family received their shares.

Examples

Carole, the daughter, gets the residuary estate.

Corridors of Blood (1963)
"But it will not follow from this doctrine that acts of the large society which are not pursuant to its constitutional powers, but which are invasions of the residuary authorities of the smaller societies, will become the supreme law of the land."

Blog text (26)
"In this spirit, it may be remarked that the equal vote allowed to each State is at once a constitutional recognition of the portion of sovereignty remaining in the individual States and an instrument for preserving that residuary sovereignty.

Blog text (28)
After paying off all debts, the lawyer distributed the residuary estate to the remaining family members.
The residuary portion of the inheritance was divided equally among the heirs after all the specified gifts were given.

Synonyms

residual

vsresiduary

84 5.3

Left after the main part is gone

is specific to estate remainder after debts and gifts

Surface Forms

residuary positive

Morphology

residuary = residue (semi-transparent) = residue + ary

The connection to 'residue' is clear, but the specific legal meaning related to estates may not be immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Residuary comes from the same root as the word residue, made from re- meaning 'back' and sedere meaning 'to sit', so it gives the image of something that 'sits back' or stays behind. That's why residuary describes what is left after the main part has been used or given away.