devastavit

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devastavit

/ˌdiːvəˈsteɪvɪt/ US, UK

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Medieval Latin dēvastāvit (“he has wasted”), from dēvastāre, from dēvastō (“to devastate, lay waste”), from de- + vastāre (from vastō (“to devastate, lay waste, ravage”), from vastus (“deserted, wasted”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂st- (“empty; wasted”)).

noun devastavits

Waste or misapplication of the assets of a deceased person by an executor or administrator; devastation. Waſt may be committed by ſelling or confuſing the Teſtator's Goods, leaving debts unpaid. By […] not having enough to pay them by ſelling of the Teſtator's Goods at an undervalue if by Covin, but if upon a judgment the Sheriff ſell them at undervalue, this is no Devaſtavit in the Executor.
In full, writ of devastavit: a writ issued against an executor or administrator claiming compensation for such misapplication of assets.

Similar: devastation

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noun

Similar: devastation

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MLA

"devastavit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/devastavit. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

devastavit. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/devastavit

Chicago

"devastavit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/devastavit.

BibTeX

@misc{devastavit_2026,
  title = {devastavit},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/devastavit},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}