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Terms Used In Missouri Laws 474.480

  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.

In all devises of lands or other estate in this state, in which the words “heirs and assigns”, or “heirs and assigns forever”, are omitted, and no expressions are contained in the will whereby it appears that the devise was intended to convey an estate for life only, and no further devise is made of the devised premises, to take effect after the death of the devisee to whom the same is given, it shall be understood to be the intention of the testator thereby to devise an absolute estate in the same, and the devise conveys an estate in fee simple to the devisee, for all of the devised premises.