1. (cap.) An English statute (enacted in 1540) that established the right of a person to devise real property by will. — Also termed Wills Act.
2. A state statute, usu. derived from the English statute, providing for testamentary disposition and requiring an elaborate set of requirements for valid execution in that jurisdiction. [Cases: Wills 1–20. C.J.S. Conflict of Laws §§ 72; Wills § 1–3, 53–87, 93–95, 97–98, 103–104, 106–132, 172, 174, 381.]