intestacy
Died without testament
Intestacy is the state of dying without a valid will.
When someone dies intestate, their estate passes according to statutory formulas rather than their wishes—typically to spouse and children first, then to more distant relatives.
The intestacy laws vary by state.
Lawyers and estate planners use the term; ordinary speakers rarely encounter it outside legal contexts.
Will validation proceedings
- heirsThose who inherit
- administratorPerson who manages operations
- next of kinNearest living family members
- distributionAllocation across recipients
legal heirs · heirship · beneficiaries · descendants · survivorship · inheritance rights · issue · per stirpes
Faculty of deliberate choice
State inherits heirless estates
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
- assetsOwned items of value
- personaltyMovable personal property
- realtyImmovable property ownership
chattels · homestead · community property · separate property
probate
Will validation proceedings
- heirsThose who inherit
- administratorPerson who manages operations
- next of kinNearest living family members
distribution · legal heirs · heirship · beneficiaries · descendants · survivorship · inheritance rights · issue · per stirpes · per capita
will
Faculty of deliberate choice
escheat
State inherits heirless estates
- patrimonyInherited estate or legacy
- assetsOwned items of value
- personaltyMovable personal property
realty · chattels · homestead · community property · separate property
consanguinity
Relatedness through shared ancestry
- affinityNatural liking or attraction
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- lineageDescent from progenitors
relatives · ancestry · kin · descendants · progeny · offspring · issue · genealogy · family tree · kindred