Where does “legatee” come from?
Legatee derives from English legate and the French suffix -é, from Latin legatus, the past participle of legō meaning to send or appoint, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- meaning to gather or choose.
legatee (English): One who receives a legacy
Definitions
- One who receives a legacy
Ancestry of “legatee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | legate | A deputy representing the pope, specifically a... |
| 2 | Latin | legatum | A bequest, legacy; nominative neuter singular of... |
| 3 | Latin | lēgātus | envoy, ambassador, legate |
| 4 | Latin | legō | to collect, gather, bring together, catch |
| 5 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |