In legal terms, when 'devise' is used as a noun, it refers to what?

• A. A transfer of personal property by will.
• B. The effect of a will
• C. A transfer of real property by will.
• D. The property of decedent

Answer: (C)

The noun use of devise refers to the transfer of real property by will. In probate terms, real estate passes by devise to the person named in the will, who is called the devisee. This is distinct from bequest, which is the transfer of personal property by will; the recipient in that case is a legatee or beneficiary. The overall effect or operation of the will isn’t called a devise, and “the property of the decedent” describes the estate itself rather than the specific mechanism for passing real property. So the best answer is that a devise is a transfer of real property by will.