A gift of real property (land and buildings) made in a will. The person who receives the devise is called a devisee, while gifts of personal property are called bequests or legacies.
From Old French 'deviser' meaning 'to divide' or 'distribute,' derived from Latin 'dividere' (to divide). The term originally referred to the division of property among heirs, later specializing to mean specifically real property gifts.
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