disinherit

[dis-in-her-it]

See more synonyms for disinherit on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

Law. to exclude from inheritance (an heir or a next of kin).
to deprive of a heritage, country, right, privilege, etc.: the disinherited peoples of the earth.

Origin of disinherit

First recorded in 1525–35; dis-¹ + inherit

Related formsdis·in·her·i·tance, nounun·dis·in·her·it·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for disinherit

oust, bereave, repudiate, rob, deprive, dispossess, exclude, divest, disown, neglect, evict, disaffiliate

Examples from the Web for disinherit

Contemporary Examples of disinherit

The attorney suggested Bettencourt might try to disinherit her daughter for “ingratitude.”
Inside the L'Oreal Family Feud
Eric Pape
December 12, 2009

Historical Examples of disinherit

And now you come and say: 'Engage yourself to him—and I'll disinherit him at once.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward
A father had taken offence at his son, and threatened to disinherit him.
Bunyan
James Anthony Froude
And as for the money and all that, if you disinherit her, or—or whatever it is they do—we don't care.
The Portygee
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
"Your lordship had threatened to disinherit me if I married her," said Rotherby.
The Lion's Skin
Rafael Sabatini
I'd ha' married the girl in earnest, but for your threats to disinherit me.
The Lion's Skin
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for disinherit

disinherit

verb (tr)

law to deprive (an heir or next of kin) of inheritance or right to inherit
to deprive of a right or heritage

Derived Formsdisinheritance, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for disinherit

mid-15c., from dis- "not" + inherit. Related: Disinherited; disinheriting. Replaced earlier desherit (c.1300), from Old French desheriter.