Vest (?), v. i. To come or descend; to be fixed; to take effect, as a title or right; -- followed by in; as,
upon the death of the
ancestor, the estate, or the right to
the estate, vests in the heir at law.
Vest , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vested; p. pr. & vb. n. Vesting.]
[Cf. L. vestire, vestitum, OF. vestir, F. vêtir. See Vest, n.]
1. To clothe with, or as with, a vestment, or garment; to dress; to robe; to cover, surround, or encompass closely.
Came vested all in white,
pure as her
mind.
Milton.
With ether
vested, and a purple sky.
Dryden.
2. To clothe with authority, power, or the like; to put in possession; to invest; to furnish; to endow; -- followed by with before the thing conferred; as, to vest a court with power to try
cases of life and death.
Had I been vested with the monarch's power.
Prior. 3. To place or give into the
possession or discretion of some person or authority; to commit to
another; -- with in before the possessor; as, the power
of life and
death is vested in the king, or in the courts.
Empire and dominion was [were] vested in him.
Locke. 4. To invest; to put; as, to vest money in goods, land, or houses. [R.]
5. (Law) To clothe with possession; as, to vest a
person with an estate; also, to give
a person an
immediate fixed right of present or future enjoyment of; as, an estate is vested in possession. Bouvier.
Vest (?), n. [L. vestis a garment, vesture; akin to Goth.
wasti, and E. wear: cf. F. veste. See Wear to carry on the person, and cf. Divest, Invest, Travesty.]
1. An article of
clothing covering the person; an outer garment; a vestment; a dress; a vesture; a robe.
In state attended by her maiden train,
Who bore the vests that holy rites require.
Dryden.
2. Any outer covering; array; garb.
Not seldom
clothed in radiant vest
Deceitfully
goes forth the morn.
Wordsworth.
3. Specifically, a waistcoat, or sleeveless body garment, for men, worn
under the coat.
Syn. --
Garment; vesture; dress; robe; vestment; waistcoat. --
Vest, Waistcoat. In England, the original word waistcoat is generally used for the body
garment worn over the shirt and immediately under the coat. In the United States this garment is commonly called a vest, and the waistcoat is often improperly given to an under-garment.
Hear it pronounced