Devise

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪz

Origin

Middle English devisen, devysen, from Old French deviser, from Vulgar Latin devisō, from Latin dīvisō, frequentative of dīvidō.

Full definition of devise

Verb

1. (transitive) To use one's intellect to plan or design (something).to devise an argument; to devise a machine, or a new system of writing
• Bancroftdevising schemes to realize his ambitious views
• 1988, Andrew Radford, Transformational GrammarThus, the task of the linguist devising a grammar which models the linguistic competence of the fluent native speaker is to devise a finite set of rules which are capable of specifying how to form, interpret, and pronounce an infinite set of well-formed sentences.
2. (transitive) To leave (property) in a will.
3. (intransitive, archaic) To form a scheme; to lay a plan; to contrive; to consider.
• Alexander PopeI thought, devised, and Pallas heard my prayer.
4. (transitive, archaic) To plan or scheme for; to plot to obtain.
• SpenserFor wisdom is most riches; fools therefore
  They are which fortunes do by vows devise.
5. (obsolete) To imagine; to guess.

Noun

1. The act of leaving real property in a will.
2. Such a will, or a clause in such a will.
• BancroftFines upon devises were still exacted.
3. The real property left in such a will.

Anagrams

• sieved