Inter vivos (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
, ''between the living'') is a legal term referring to a transfer or gift made during one's lifetime, as opposed to a
testamentary transfer that takes effect on the death of the giver.
The term is often used to describe a trust established during one's lifetime, i.e., an
inter vivos trust as opposed to a
testamentary trust that is established on one's death, usually as part of a
will. An inter vivos trust, by definition, includes both revocable and irrevocable trusts.
Other meaning
The term ''inter vivos'' is also used to describe living
organ donation
Organ donation is the process when a person allows an organ (anatomy), organ of their own to be removed and organ transplantation, transplanted to another person, #Legislation and global perspectives, legally, either by consent while the donor ...
, in which one patient donates an organ to another while both are alive. Generally, the organs transplanted are either non-vital organs such as corneas or redundant vital organs such as one of the two kidneys or part of a liver.
References
Wills and trusts
Latin legal terminology
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