devisee

1 9.9

A person who receives property, like a house, from a will

noun
/ˌdɛvɪˈzi/

Formal

: heredero

The property was transferred to the devisee after the will was executed.

Examples

The devisee received a beautiful house in the will.
As the sole devisee, she inherited the entire estate.
Each devisee must be clearly identified in the document to avoid disputes.
She is the sole devisee of her late uncle's estate.
After her father passed away, Maria learned she was the devisee of his house and property.
The will named several devisees, each set to inherit a portion of the estate.
As a devisee, John was responsible for maintaining the family home he inherited from his grandmother.

Synonyms

inheritor

vsdevisee

7 4.6

A person who is allowed by law or a will to receive someone's property after they die

applies only when property is left by a will rather than by law

legatee

vsdevisee

Formal

1 9.1

A person who gets money or property from a will

applies only to real estate left by a will rather than other assets

Surface Forms

devisee singular

devisees plural

Morphology

devisee = devise (semi-transparent) = devise + ee

The formation is regular from legal 'devise' plus recipient suffix '-ee', but the specific legal sense is specialized and not highly accessible to typical learners.

Etymology

Devisee comes from the verb devise, which originally meant 'to divide' property in a will and is related to the common English word divide. So a devisee is someone who receives part of the property left by a will.