What does adeeming mean?
Adeeming is the gerund and present participle of 'adeem', a rare and largely archaic English verb meaning to grant, bestow, or adjudge something — most often used in historical legal contexts concerning legacies, bequests, or formal awards. The word derives from the Old French 'ademer' and ultimately from Latin roots relating to judgment and giving. Because it has fallen almost entirely out of modern use, 'adeeming' appears today only in antiquarian legal writing, genealogical records, and scholarly discussions of historical law. Readers encountering the word should understand it as a formal act of conferring or adjudging rather than merely considering or deeming. Its obscurity makes it a curiosity of English legal vocabulary rather than a living part of everyday speech.
verb (gerund/present participle)The act of adeeming — an archaic and chiefly legal term meaning to grant, bestow, or adjudge something, especially in the context of legacies or awards. It is the present participle/gerund of the rare verb 'adeem'.
- To grant, bestow, or adjudge something, especially a legacy or award (archaic/legal).
"The court's adeeming of the legacy to the eldest son settled a dispute that had divided the family for years."
"The will spoke of adeeming the estate to the surviving heirs."
"In old legal texts, adeeming referred to the formal act of adjudging a bequest to its recipient."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adeeming
Adeeming comes from the verb 'adeem', which entered English from Anglo-Norman and Old French 'ademer', formed from the Latin prefix 'ad-' ('to, toward') combined with a root related to judging or reckoning, cognate with 'deem' and 'doom'. The word was used in medieval and early modern English legal language for the formal granting or adjudging of property or legacies. It shares its deeper Germanic root with 'deem' and 'doom', both of which originally carried senses of judgment.
Related word forms
How adeeming is actually used
Extremely rare and archaic; encountered almost exclusively in historical legal documents. Modern readers are unlikely to encounter it outside specialist contexts.
Easily confused with adeeming
'Deeming' means considering or regarding something in a certain way, while 'adeeming' is a rare legal term for granting or adjudging something.