inheritance

American  

[in-her-i-tuhns] / ɪnˈhɛr ɪ təns /

noun

1. something that is or may be inherited; property passing at the owner's death to the heir or those entitled to succeed; legacy.

   Synonyms:

   bequest, patrimony

2. the genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively.

3. something, as a quality, characteristic, or other immaterial possession, received from progenitors or predecessors as if by succession.

   an inheritance of family pride.

4. the act or fact of inheriting by succession, as if by succession, or genetically.

   to receive property by inheritance.

5. portion; birthright; heritage.

   Absolute rule was considered the inheritance of kings.

6. Obsolete. right of possession; ownership.

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inheritance British  

/ ɪnˈhɛrɪtəns /

noun

1. law

   1. hereditary succession to an estate, title, etc

   2. the right of an heir to succeed to property on the death of an ancestor

   3. something that may legally be transmitted to an heir

2. the act of inheriting

3. something inherited; heritage

4. the derivation of characteristics of one generation from an earlier one by heredity

5. obsolete hereditary rights

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inheritance Scientific  

/ ĭn-hĕr′ĭ-təns /

1. The process by which traits or characteristics pass from parents to offspring through the genes.

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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

As a result, she has taken my inheritance, my older sister’s inheritance and my uncle’s inheritance.

From MarketWatch

If you have no dependents and don’t plan to leave an inheritance, permanent life insurance is usually unnecessary.

From MarketWatch

“In some severe cases, the plaintiff may have additional remedies through a civil lawsuit for claims like negligence or tortious interference with inheritance rights,” the law firm says.

From MarketWatch

First-time buyers are also drawing more heavily on the bank of mum and dad - with almost one in three deposits coming from family gifts, and almost a tenth coming from inheritance.

From BBC

Can we legally reject the inheritance through a filing with the probate court?

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• bequest
• estate
• heritage
• legacy