devisee

devisee — noun

1. a person who receives land, a house, or other property because it was left to th

1.nounC2
Definition

a person who receives land, a house, or other property because it was left to them in a legal document known as a will

Example

Gabriel named his niece as the sole devisee of his farmland in his will.

collocation: sole devisee

Zola, the only devisee named in the will, inherited her aunt's city apartment.

passive: named devisee in a will

Common collocations
  • sole devisee
  • named devisee
  • devisee of [land/house/property]
Synonyms
  • heir

    broader term — someone who inherits property either by will or by law when there is no will

  • legatee

    receives personal property by will, as opposed to real property

  • beneficiary

    more general — can receive benefits from a will, trust, or insurance policy

Antonyms
  • testator

    the person who makes the will

  • grantor

    the person who transfers property to another

Usage Note

Frequently contrasted with 'legatee': in strict common-law usage, a devisee receives real property (land and buildings) while a legatee receives personal property (money, goods, investments). In modern legal practice the terms are sometimes used more loosely, but the distinction remains important in formal documents.

Common Mistakes

She was the sole devisee of her father's savings account.
She was the sole legatee of her father's savings account.
'Devisee' is for real property (land, buildings); 'legatee' is for personal property (money, goods).
The devisee wrote the will and left everything to her children.
The testator wrote the will and left everything to her children.
A devisee receives property; the person who makes the will is the testator.

Word family

  • devise
    verbC2
  • devisor
    nounC2
  • devisable
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three terms describe someone who receives property from another person, but they differ in scope and legal context. 'Heir' is the broadest term: it refers to someone entitled to inherit a deceased person's property, whether by will (testate) or by law (intestate). 'Legatee' is narrower — it describes someone who receives personal property (money, stocks, furniture) specifically through a will. 'Beneficiary' is the most flexible term, used not only for wills but also for trusts, insurance policies, and retirement accounts. For example, you might say 'Ravindra was the sole beneficiary of his mother's life insurance policy,' but you would only use 'devisee' when the property being passed is land or a building and the transfer happens through a will.

heir ↗legatee ↗beneficiary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • named as devisee
  • sole devisee
  • devisee of [property]

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Devise' comes from Old French 'devis,' meaning 'division' or 'arrangement,' which traces back to Latin 'dividere' ('to divide'). In English law, the word took on the specific meaning of giving real estate by will. The suffix '-ee' (from French '-é,' marking the recipient of an action) was added to form 'devisee' — the person who receives the property. The earliest known use of 'devisee' in English legal writing dates from the early 1500s.

First known use

1543

1543, in the meaning defined above