In a word, a gift in contemplation of death is where the donor would rather have the thing himself than that the donee should have it, and that the latter should rather have it than his own heir.
Suppose that the king transfers his right over a single hide to some bishop or abbot, the doneewill be entitled to receive from that hide a rent which can not be called insignificant.
Still, even within the sphere of piety and alms, we sometimes find the notion that in consequence of the gift the donee should do something for the donor.
However, as already said, the gift supposes that the personal relationship of lord and thegn already exists between the donor and the donee before the gift is made.
We may not argue from this to any definite condition annexed to the gift, or to any standing relationship between the donor and the donee like the 'tenure' of later times.
The ancient charters, however nearly they may go to telling us that the donee will do justice within his territory, never go quite that length.
To define the limits of the whole territory is important, for the donee should know how far his cattle can wander without trespass.
We can not say that from the first the gift of book-land establishes between the donee and the royal donor any such permanent relation as that which in later times is called tenure.
In other cases the lay donee is to hold the land 'by church right' or 'by minster right[867].
Words are used which expressly tell us that the donee is to enjoy the land during his life and may on his death give it to whomsoever he chooses.
Charity does not oblige to works of almsgiving, if the inconvenience to the donor is out of proportion to the distress from which the donee is rescued (see 1158).
The Lombards had a similar transfer, in which the donee was not only called heres, but was made liable like an heir for the debts of the donor on receiving the property after the donor's death.
Donee did not think it was like fairy-land or heaven, because she had never in her life heard of fairy-land or heaven.
When he came in at night, Donee said: "If you sold the land for much money, could we have a home like the miller's?
When it was all over, the children's mother (Donee felt as if she was her mother too) called her in, and took out of that same cupboard a roll of the loveliest red calico.
Donee went to the tree and looked down at the party she had made; at the little dishes with the rose on each.
Donee stood around for a long time, afraid to say what she wanted.
But Donee could not eat the pie, her heart was so full.
There was a log smouldering on the hearth, whereDonee baked cakes of pounded corn and beans in the ashes, and on the other side of the dark room was the heap of straw where she slept.
Donee managed to whisper, if she were to have a party the next day, could the children come to it?
The milk, of course, was put in the pot for coffee, and set on three dead leaves to boil; and Jenny allowed Donee to fill the jam dishes herself, with her own hands.
At last, one day Oostogah went down to the mill, and Doneeplucked up her courage and followed him.
Donee went back to the hut, trotting along beside Oostogah, her roll of calico under her arm.
Donee came up then, and stood directly before him, looking up at him.
Donee was very quiet, but it was to her as if the end of the world had come, all this was so happy and wonderful.
But out in an Indian village I found Donee sick and starving.
It was called a conditional fee by reason of the condition expressed or implied in the donation of it, that if the doneedied without such particular heirs, the land should revert to the donor.
In other words, it was a fee simple on condition that the donee had issue, and as soon as such issue was born, the estate was supposed to become absolute by the performance of the condition.
Many a well-meant bequest to a noble charity has been smitten down because there was no legal donee then existing to receive the gift.
Nor does the failure of the donee to reciprocate the donor's generosity or indirectly reward him, create any right or claim on the donor's part to a return from the donee.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "donee" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word. Other words: assignee; beneficiary; pensioner; stipendiary
