DEVEST, verb transitive [Latin , a vest, a garment. Generally written divest.] 1. To strip; to deprive of clothing or arms; to take off. 2. To deprive; to take away; as, to devest a man or nation of rights. [See Divest.] 3. To free from; to disengage. 4. In law, to alienate, as title or right. DEVEST, verb intransitive In law, to be lost or alienated, as a title or an estate. [This word is generally written divest, except in the latter and legal sense.]
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI