bequest

bequest · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʷet-“to say”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*kwissiz“saying”
3. Old English · derived from*cwist
4. Middle English · inherited frombiqueste
5. English todaybequest

From Middle English biqueste, bequeste (“will, testament, bequest”), from be- + quiste, queste (“saying, utterance, testament, will, legacy”), from Old English *cwist, *cwiss (“saying”) (compare Old English andcwiss, ġecwis, uncwisse, etc.), from Proto-Germanic *kwissiz (“saying”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷet- (“to say”). Related to Old English andcwiss (“answer, reply”), Old English uncwisse (“dumb, mute”), Middle English bequethen (“to bequeath”). Not related to quest, which is from Latin. More at quoth, bequeath.

bequest · verb²

1. Middle English · inherited frombiquesten
2. English todaybequest

From Middle English biquesten, from the noun (see above).

Words from the same roots