intestacy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the legal condition of dying without a valid will, or of having property not disposed of by a valid will

   Because she died without a valid will, her estate was distributed under the rules of intestacy.

Formed from intestate + -cy. Intestate comes from Latin intestatus ("without a will"), from in- ("not") + testatus ("having made a will"), ultimately related to testis ("witness").

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