primogeniture
[prahy-muh-jen-i-cher, -choo r]
- the state or fact of being the firstborn of children of the same parents.
- Law. the system of inheritance or succession by the firstborn, specifically the eldest son.
Show More
Compare postremogeniture.
Origin of primogeniture
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
legacybequestestateheritagedevisebirthrightheirloomgiftprimogenitureclaimrightinheritanceshareduepatrimonyheritanceExamples from the Web for primogeniture
Contemporary Examples
The modern equivalent of primogeniture in the U.S., as Schine sees it, is divorce.
Historical Examples
We need not hesitate to attribute the change to the influence of Primogeniture.
Ancient LawSir Henry James Sumner Maine
Here then emerges the historical difficulty of Primogeniture.
Ancient LawSir Henry James Sumner Maine
Socially it appears far more just and reasonable than the custom of primogeniture.
Medival WalesA. G. Little
Then occurred an extraordinary hitch in the history of primogeniture.
Shakespeare's FamilyMrs. C. C. Stopes
Yet in the case of primogeniture our opinion would have to be modified.
Social Rights and Duties, Volume I (of 2)Sir Leslie Stephen
primogeniture
- the state of being a first-born
- law the right of an eldest son to succeed to the estate of his ancestor to the exclusion of all othersCompare ultimogeniture
Show More
Word Origin
C17: from Medieval Latin prīmōgenitūra birth of a first child, from Latin prīmō at first + Late Latin genitūra a birth
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 primogeniture
n.
"right of succession of the first-born," c.1600, from French primogeniture and directly from Medieval Latin primogenitura, from Late Latin primogenitus "first-born," from Latin primo (adv.) "first in order of time," from primus "first" (see prime (adj.)) + genitus, past participle of gignere "to beget" (see genus). Earlier it meant simply "fact of being first-born" (1590s).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
primogeniture
[(preye-moh-jen-uh-choor, preye-moh-jen-uh-chuhr)]
A system of inheritance in which land passes exclusively to the eldest son. Until the Industrial Revolution, this system severely restricted the freedom of younger sons, who were often forced into the military or the clergy to earn a living.
Show More
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.