heirloom

[ air-loom ]

noun

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

adjective

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

   heirloom vegetables and fruits.

heirloom

/ ˈɛəˌluːm /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of heirloom¹

First recorded in 1375–1425, heirloom is from the late Middle English word heirlome. See heir, loom ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of heirloom¹

C15: from heir + lome tool; see loom ¹

Example Sentences

Better yet, get to a local farmers market and take advantage of heirloom varieties, like blue potatoes or hubbard squash, swapping them out for mainstream grocery store produce.

From Popular-Science

Set your socially distanced dessert table in style with Molly Hatch’s modern heirloom ceramic plates and mugs featuring matching icon prints of candy canes, Christmas trees, gingerbread folx, holly, ice skates, and snowflakes.

From Washington Blade

That can vary, depending on the item — people are likelier to retrieve a family heirloom than they are a buzzsaw.

From Vox

These are heirloom-quality items that I take pride in maintaining with warm beeswax.

From Outside Online

Skeptics of the hologenome idea—that microbes and host comprise a single evolutionary unit—argue that microbes aren’t always passed like heirlooms between generations.

From Nautilus

The distillery creates “small batch heirloom spirits handcrafted in New Mexico.”

From The Daily Beast

Walking through rows of Swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes, leeks, and artichokes, he can tell you exactly when each is at its peak.

From The Daily Beast

They had to infect the perfectly adequate data with the totally improbable idea of a 400-year-old heirloom elk antler tool.

From The Daily Beast

And then heirloom varieties tend to be more nutritious—and delicious—than modern, overbred varieties.

From The Daily Beast

Unfortunately, most heirloom apple trees have long since been ripped out of the ground.

From The Daily Beast

And instead of taking care of this precious heirloom, he goes and locks it away in a safe.

From Project Gutenberg

And if the monumental record of their virtues be a just one, why did they heirloom on posterity this bitter heritage of swearing?

From Project Gutenberg

The dog is an heirloom and will descend to the Gishes of the next generation, in the direct line of inheritance.

From Project Gutenberg

These spoons long remained an heirloom in the clergyman's family to testify the truth of the story.

From Project Gutenberg

"It is an heirloom of my mother's family, your Grace," returned its owner in a constrained, half-hearted way.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• antique