heirloom

[ air-loom ]
/ ˈɛərˌlum /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR heirloom ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a family possession handed down from generation to generation.
Law. property neither personal nor real that descends to the heir of an estate as part of the real property.

adjective

noting or relating to an old plant variety that is being cultivated again: heirloom vegetables and fruits.Compare heritage (def. 6).

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Origin of heirloom

First recorded in 1375–1425, heirloom is from the late Middle English word heirlome.See heir, loom1

Words nearby heirloom

heir, heir apparent, heir at law, heirdom, heiress, heirloom, heir presumptive, heirship, Heisenberg, Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Heisenberg, Werner
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to heirloom

antique, birthright, gift, inheritance, reversion, legacy, patrimony, heritage, bequest

Example sentences from the Web for heirloom

British Dictionary definitions for heirloom

heirloom
/ (ˈɛəˌluːm) /

noun

an object that has been in a family for generations
property law a chattel inherited by special custom or in accordance with the terms of a will

Word Origin for heirloom

C15: from heir + lome tool; see loom 1
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