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There's something inventive about devise, a word that stems from Latin dividere, meaning "to divide." By the time devise began being used in early Middle English, its Anglo-French forebear deviser had accumulated an array of senses, including "divide," "distribute," "arrange," "array," "digest," "order," "plan," "invent," "contrive," and "assign by will." English adopted most of these and added some new senses over the course of time, such as "imagine," "guess," "pretend," and "describe." In modern use, we've disposed of a lot of the old meanings, but we have kept the one that applies to wills; devise has traditionally referred to the transfer of real property (land), and bequeath to personal property. These days, this devise is most often recognized as applying generally to all the property in a person's estate.
Synonyms
Examples of devise in a Sentence
Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
The Times reported these Telegram groups, which were largely created after the 2020 election, have devised plans to attend local election meetings, hold protest rallies and monitor voters at the polls with cameras.
—Conor Murray, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024
The two-spigot devise expands and folds out of the way above the stove’s surface.
—Dana Oland, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for devise 
Dictionary Entries Near devise
Cite this Entry
“Devise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devise. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
devise
2 of 2 nounNote: Formerly devise was used to refer only to gifts of real property, and legacy and bequest were used only to refer to gifts of personal property. These distinctions are no longer closely followed. The Uniform Probate Code uses devise to refer to any gifts made in a will.
Note: Executory devises were invented as a way of getting around the rule in Shelley's case, which is now largely abolished.
Transitive verb
Anglo-French deviser to divide, share, bequeath, ultimately from Latin dividere to divide
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