As used in this title, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) “Child” includes any individual, adopted or natural born, entitled to take as a child under this title by intestate succession from the parent whose relationship is involved and excludes any person who is only a stepchild, a foster child, a grandchild or any more remote descendant;
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 31-1-101

  • Child: includes any individual, adopted or natural born, entitled to take as a child under this title by intestate succession from the parent whose relationship is involved and excludes any person who is only a stepchild, a foster child, a grandchild or any more remote descendant. See Tennessee Code 31-1-101
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Devise: when used as a noun, means a testamentary disposition of real or personal property. See Tennessee Code 31-1-101
  • Devisee: means any person designated in a will to receive a devise. See Tennessee Code 31-1-101
  • Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
  • Parent: includes any person entitled to take, or who would be entitled to take if the child, adopted or natural born, died without a will, as a parent under this title by intestate succession from the child whose relationship is in question and excludes any person who is only a stepparent, foster parent, or grandparent. See Tennessee Code 31-1-101
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Personal property: includes money, goods, chattels, things in action, and evidences of debt. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Personal representative: includes executor, administrator, successor personal representative, special administrator, and persons who perform substantially the same function under the law governing their status. See Tennessee Code 31-1-101
  • Property: includes both real and personal property or any interest therein and means anything that may be the subject of ownership. See Tennessee Code 31-1-101
  • Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(2) “Devise,” when used as a noun, means a testamentary disposition of real or personal property. “Devise,” when used as a verb, means to dispose of real or personal property by will;
(3) “Devisee” means any person designated in a will to receive a devise. In the case of a devise to an existing trust or trustee, or to a trustee or trust described by a will, the trust or trustee is the devisee and the beneficiaries are not devisees;
(4) “Distributee” means any person who has received property of a decedent from the personal representative other than as a creditor or purchaser;
(5) “Heirs” means those persons, including the surviving spouse, who are entitled under the statutes of intestate succession to the property of a decedent;
(6) “Issue” of a person means all the person’s lineal descendants, adopted as well as natural born, of all generations, with the relationship of parent and child at each generation being determined by the definitions of child and parent contained in this title;
(7) “Parent” includes any person entitled to take, or who would be entitled to take if the child, adopted or natural born, died without a will, as a parent under this title by intestate succession from the child whose relationship is in question and excludes any person who is only a stepparent, foster parent, or grandparent;
(8) “Personal representative” includes executor, administrator, successor personal representative, special administrator, and persons who perform substantially the same function under the law governing their status; and
(9) “Property” includes both real and personal property or any interest therein and means anything that may be the subject of ownership.
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