disinherit

[ dis-in-her-it ]

/ ˌdɪs ɪnˈhɛr ɪt /

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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for disinheritance

He loathed his mission and himself and felt that he had earned a trouncing and a disinheritance.
We Can't Have Everything|Rupert Hughes
No attainder shall result in the forfeiture of dower by the offender's wife nor disinheritance of his heirs.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly
Charles must accept his father's decision on pain of disinheritance.
Charles the Bold|Ruth Putnam
He had married in disobedience to his father's will, but he never for a moment glanced at the possibility of disinheritance.
Trevlyn Hold|Mrs. Henry Wood

He has no disinheritance to fear because he has no inheritance to look for beyond the entail, of which you cannot disinherit him.
The Lion's Skin|Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for disinheritance

disinherit

/ (ˌdɪsɪnˈhɛrɪt) /

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 disinheritance

disinherit

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