noun
estate
ih-STAYT/ɪˈsteɪt/
Property held under someone's ownership or legal interest.
Her estate includes the house, savings, and debts she leaves behind.
Etymology
Latin status referred to a person’s condition or social standing. Estate moved from that idea through “worldly prosperity” to the property and wealth a person owns.
In context
father's disposition of property, often through a will or a deathbed declaration, could also ensure a daughter's inheritance, even if not the primary estate.
More examples
- The family owns a wooded estate with a farmhouse and barn.
- A life estate lets him occupy the house until his death.
- The executor pays the debts before distributing the estate.
Forms
estate · estates
Similar words
- property
- Covers owned possessions or land without necessarily including debts.
- assets
- Refers to valuable holdings, excluding debts and other liabilities.
- inheritance
- Means what someone receives, rather than the entire estate.