: the quality or state of being or dying intestate
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe failures of intestacy laws reveal the limits in how our legal system characterizes the family unit. Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 17 May 2022
Word History
First Known Use
1767, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
intestacy
noun
in·tes·ta·cy in-ˈtes-tə-sē
plural intestacies
1
: the state of dying intestate : an intestate state or condition
the invalidation of the will resulted in her intestacy
2
: intestate succession at succession
wills should be construed to avoid intestacy whenever possibleSmith v. Estate of Peters, 741 P.2d 1172 (1987)
the remaining property passed by intestacy to the heirs