A gift of personal property made through a will. Unlike a devise (which refers to real property), a bequest specifically refers to movable property such as money, jewelry, or furniture.
From Old English 'becwethan' meaning 'to say' or 'to declare,' literally 'to speak about.' The term evolved from the practice of orally declaring one's final wishes, later formalized in written wills.
Bequest vs. devise is one of those legal distinctions that seems pointless until you're in probate court! Technically, you 'devise' land but 'bequeath' everything else - it's like the law's obsession with having different words for the same basic concept.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.