inheritance
Americannoun
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something that is or may be inherited; property passing at the owner's death to the heir or those entitled to succeed; legacy.
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the genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively.
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something, as a quality, characteristic, or other immaterial possession, received from progenitors or predecessors as if by succession.
an inheritance of family pride.
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the act or fact of inheriting by succession, as if by succession, or genetically.
to receive property by inheritance.
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portion; birthright; heritage.
Absolute rule was considered the inheritance of kings.
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Obsolete. right of possession; ownership.
noun
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law
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hereditary succession to an estate, title, etc
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the right of an heir to succeed to property on the death of an ancestor
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something that may legally be transmitted to an heir
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the act of inheriting
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something inherited; heritage
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the derivation of characteristics of one generation from an earlier one by heredity
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obsolete hereditary rights
Related Words
Inheritance, heritage denote something inherited. Inheritance is the common term for property or any possession that comes to an heir: He received the farm as an inheritance from his parents. Heritage indicates something that is bequeathed to a subsequent generation by an individual or by society: our cultural heritage from Greece and Rome.
Other Word Forms
- preinheritance noun
Etymology
Origin of inheritance
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English enheritance, from Anglo-French; equivalent to inherit + -ance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Even though my kids work as hard as I did, it’s sad that inheritance is their best shot at homeownership here,” she said.
I may receive an inheritance from my parents when they pass, but that may not be the case if my mother ultimately requires costly memory care.
From MarketWatch
Is it legal to deposit a large cash inheritance — say, $150,000 — into a bank?
From MarketWatch
He recommends picking “neutral” territory for meetings, which cover everything from inheritances to investments.
Few institutions embody France’s cultural inheritance as fully as the Louvre, whose galleries trace the arc of civilizations while reflecting the French state’s centuries-old role as custodian of artistic treasure.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
