What does legatee mean?
A legatee is a person who receives a legacy, meaning a gift of money, property, or other assets, under a will. The word is especially common in legal and financial contexts, including discussions of wills, estates, and inheritance. A legatee may be given a specific item or amount, or may be named as the residuary legatee to receive what remains after debts, taxes, and other obligations have been settled. Unlike an heir in the broad sense, who may inherit through family relationship or by law, a legatee is specifically identified in a will as the recipient of a bequest. The term is therefore useful when discussing the precise legal arrangement of inheritance and the distribution of an estate.
nounA person to whom a legacy is bequeathed in a will. A legatee may receive a specific item, a sum of money, or the residue of an estate.
- A person to whom property or a legacy is bequeathed in a will.
"The deceased left a generous legacy to a charitable legatee."
"The residuary legatee received the remaining assets after the debts were paid."
"She named two legatees to receive a portion of her estate."
The plural is used for multiple people designated to receive legacies under a will.
"The will left substantial gifts to several legatees."
A legatee is the person named in a will to receive a specific bequest rather than simply inheriting an estate by family relationship.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does legatee come from?
The word legatee comes from Latin legare, meaning “to bequeath” or “to leave by will,” combined with the suffix -ate, forming an agent noun meaning “one to whom something is bequeathed.” The related English word legacy has the same Latin root and originally referred to something left by a will. Legate, another cognate, developed in a different direction and refers to a representative or envoy.
How legatee is actually used
The term is primarily legal and formal. It is distinguished from an heir because a legatee is specified by the will and may receive a particular gift rather than the whole estate.
Easily confused with legatee
A legatee receives property under a will, whereas a legate is a representative or envoy, especially one sent by a pope.
An heir is a person entitled to inherit under law or a will, while a legatee is specifically named to receive a legacy.