heir

1 of 2

noun

ˈer

: one who receives property from an ancestor : one who is entitled to inherit property

was her father's sole heir

: one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office

heir to the throne

: one who receives or is entitled to receive something other than property from a parent or predecessor

saw himself as the logical heir to the slain dictator

heirless

ˈer-ləs

adjective

heirship

ˈer-ˌship

noun

heir

2 of 2

verb

heired; heiring; heirs

transitive verb

chiefly dialectal

: inherit

Example Sentences

Noun His heirs could inherit millions of dollars. The king left no heirs when he died.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

When a great council assembles to pick an heir to the Iron Throne, the narrator points out key figures.

Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, was an impeachment manager during the first impeachment of Trump.

Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 18 Aug. 2022 Pritzker, a billionaire businessman and an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, sought to move past the party squabble.

Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 Rather than covering the entire contents of Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon starts in the middle of the book, covering the fourth Targaryen king’s rule, and his subsequent search for an heir to the throne.

Milan Polk, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2022 Beau dated Lilly Phipps, an heir to the Phipps family fortune.

Adam Entous, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 No one distributes more of the stuff than 76-year-old Richard Uihlein, an heir to the Schlitz beer fortune, and his wife, Elizabeth, 77, who together started a company called Uline in their basement in 1980.

Kyle Mullins, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Worlds collide in this historical drama when an heir to a fashion house falls in love with a seamstress.

Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, 29 July 2022 The King of Rock 'n' Roll gained an heir to his throne on Feb. 1, 1968, with the birth of the couple's first and only child, Lisa Marie Presley.

Nicole Briese, PEOPLE.com, 23 June 2022

Verb

Charles then passed his Prince of Wales title to his eldest son and heir William, making William's wife the Princess of Wales, as his mother Diana once was before.

Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2022 As her eldest son, and therefore heir to the throne, the pair had a close relationship.

Vogue, 12 Sep. 2022 Alexander Skarsgård will be back as Lukas Matsson, Hope Davis will reprise her role as media heir Sandi Furness, and Arian Moayed and Annabelle Dexter-Jones will reappear as Kendall's frenemy Stewy and love interest Naomi Pierce, respectively.

Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Sep. 2022 The pair talked to CNN this week about the series and heir own gutsy moments.

Lisa Respers France, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 Prince Charles, heir to the throne, is now King Charles III, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is now the Queen Consort.

Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 8 Sep. 2022 The decision was taken with the 96-year-old monarch's comfort in mind the source said, adding Prince Charles, heir to the throne, will be attending as planned.

Reuters, NBC News, 2 Sep. 2022 This secret has been passed from king to heir since Aegon's time.

Emily Burack, Town & Country, 22 Aug. 2022 Viserys isn't pleased with his brother, and a tense argument reveals that Daemon despises his wife, Lady Rhea Royce, heir to Runestone in the Vale of Arryn.

Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English eir, eyre, heir, borrowed from Anglo-French heir, going back to Vulgar Latin *hērem, *hēre, taken as oblique forms (by declension reassignment) of Latin hērēd-, hērēs, from hēr- (probably going back to Indo-European *ǵ^heh₁ro- "abandoned, derelict," whence also Greek chêros "widowed, orphaned, bereaved," chérā "widow") + -ēd-, perhaps a suffixal element

Note: Latin hērēd- has been directly compared with the base of Greek chērōstaí "kinsmen inheriting the property of a person lacking closer relatives" (with the agent suffix -tēs). Opposing the interpretation of *-ēd-/*-ōd- as a suffixal element is an older explanation that sees the etymon as a compound of *ǵ^heh₁ro- and the verbal base *h₁ed- "eat"—the whole hence meaning approximately "that which devours what is left behind." (The Greek outcome would then be from *ǵ^heh₁ro-h₁d-, with zero grade of the verb.) The adjective *ǵ^heh₁ro- has been taken as a derivative of the verbal base *ǵ^heh₁- "let go, leave behind" (see go entry 1).

Verb

Middle English erren, heyren, derivative of eir, eyre heir entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

heir

noun

ˈar

: one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to the possession of property after the death of its owner: as

: one who by operation of law inherits the property and especially the real property of a person who dies without leaving a valid will

—used in jurisdictions whose law is based on English common law

called also heir at law, heir general, legal heir

compare issue

in the civil law of Louisiana : one who succeeds to the estate of a person by will or especially by operation of law see also intestacy, unworthy compare ancestor, devisee, legatee, next of kin, successor

— apparent heir

: heir apparent in this entry

— beneficiary heir

in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who exercises the benefit of inventory which limits the amount of his or her liability for the decedent's debts

— bodily heir

: heir of the body in this entry

— forced heir

: an heir who cannot be disinherited except for causes recognized by law

especially, in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who because of youth or mental or physical infirmity cannot care for himself or herself and who cannot be deprived of his or her lawful portion of the decedent's estate by disinherison without just cause see also legitime

— heir ab intestato \\ -ˌab-ˌin-tes-ˈtā-tō, -ˌäb-ˌin-tes-ˈtä-tō \\ plural heirs ab intestato

in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir that takes only by operation of the laws governing intestate succession

— heir apparent plural heirs apparent

: an heir whose right to an inheritance cannot be voided or undone except by exclusion under a valid will if he or she survives the ancestor

called also apparent heir

compare heir presumptive in this entry

— heir at law

: heir sense a

— heir general plural heirs general

: heir sense a

— heir in tail

: an heir to a fee-tail estate

called also heir of entail

— heir of the body

: an heir who is a lineal descendant especially as contrasted with a collateral descendant

called also bodily heir

— heir presumptive plural heirs presumptive

: an heir whose right to inherit may be defeated by the birth of a nearer relative or by exclusion under a valid will

called also presumptive heir

compare heir apparent in this entry

— instituted heir

in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who is named in the will but whose legacy will fall to a substitute legatee under a vulgar substitution in the event that he or she refuses the legacy or dies before the testator

called also instituted legatee

— irregular heir

in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who inherits a right of action to the estate as distinguished from seisin

Note: This class of heirs was eliminated as of January 1, 1982. Formerly, a decedent's illegitimate children and spouse were considered irregular heirs.

— legal heir

: heir sense a

specifically, in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who receives seisin immediately after the death of the intestate by operation of law compare irregular heir in this entry

Note: Prior to 1982 the Louisiana Civil Code distinguished between legal and irregular heirs who were required to go through an additional procedure in order to receive possession of the property. This division of heirs was eliminated in the 1981 revision of the Civil Code.

— natural heir

: an heir (as a child) whose status as an heir arises from especially close blood relationship as distinguished from one (as the state) whose status arises by operation of statute

— presumptive heir

: heir presumptive in this entry

— pretermitted heir

: a descendant of a testator who would be an heir under the laws of intestacy but who is not named to take under the will

Note: Most states have statutes requiring a share of the estate to go to a pretermitted heir, especially one born after the execution of the will, on the assumption that the omission was unintentional.

— right heir

: an heir by blood

: the particular heir granted or devised an estate tail as distinguished from the heirs in general

— testamentary heir

in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who inherits under a will

单词	heirs
释义	heir 1 of 2 noun ˈer 1 : one who receives property from an ancestor : one who is entitled to inherit property was her father's sole heir 2 : one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office heir to the throne 3 : one who receives or is entitled to receive something other than property from a parent or predecessor saw himself as the logical heir to the slain dictator heirless ˈer-ləs adjective heirship ˈer-ˌship noun heir 2 of 2 verb heired; heiring; heirs transitive verb chiefly dialectal : inherit Synonyms Noun heir at law inheritor legatee See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun His heirs could inherit millions of dollars. The king left no heirs when he died. Recent Examples on the Web Noun When a great council assembles to pick an heir to the Iron Throne, the narrator points out key figures. Darren Franich, EW.com, 19 Aug. 2022 Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, was an impeachment manager during the first impeachment of Trump. Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 18 Aug. 2022 Pritzker, a billionaire businessman and an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, sought to move past the party squabble. Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 Rather than covering the entire contents of Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon starts in the middle of the book, covering the fourth Targaryen king’s rule, and his subsequent search for an heir to the throne. Milan Polk, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2022 Beau dated Lilly Phipps, an heir to the Phipps family fortune. Adam Entous, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 No one distributes more of the stuff than 76-year-old Richard Uihlein, an heir to the Schlitz beer fortune, and his wife, Elizabeth, 77, who together started a company called Uline in their basement in 1980. Kyle Mullins, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 Worlds collide in this historical drama when an heir to a fashion house falls in love with a seamstress. Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, 29 July 2022 The King of Rock 'n' Roll gained an heir to his throne on Feb. 1, 1968, with the birth of the couple's first and only child, Lisa Marie Presley. Nicole Briese, PEOPLE.com, 23 June 2022 Verb Charles then passed his Prince of Wales title to his eldest son and heir William, making William's wife the Princess of Wales, as his mother Diana once was before. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2022 As her eldest son, and therefore heir to the throne, the pair had a close relationship. Vogue, 12 Sep. 2022 Alexander Skarsgård will be back as Lukas Matsson, Hope Davis will reprise her role as media heir Sandi Furness, and Arian Moayed and Annabelle Dexter-Jones will reappear as Kendall's frenemy Stewy and love interest Naomi Pierce, respectively. Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Sep. 2022 The pair talked to CNN this week about the series and heir own gutsy moments. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 Prince Charles, heir to the throne, is now King Charles III, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is now the Queen Consort. Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 8 Sep. 2022 The decision was taken with the 96-year-old monarch's comfort in mind the source said, adding Prince Charles, heir to the throne, will be attending as planned. Reuters, NBC News, 2 Sep. 2022 This secret has been passed from king to heir since Aegon's time. Emily Burack, Town & Country, 22 Aug. 2022 Viserys isn't pleased with his brother, and a tense argument reveals that Daemon despises his wife, Lady Rhea Royce, heir to Runestone in the Vale of Arryn. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Noun Middle English eir, eyre, heir, borrowed from Anglo-French heir, going back to Vulgar Latin hērem, hēre, taken as oblique forms (by declension reassignment) of Latin hērēd-, hērēs, from hēr- (probably going back to Indo-European ǵ^heh₁ro- "abandoned, derelict," whence also Greek chêros* "widowed, orphaned, bereaved," chérā "widow") + -ēd-, perhaps a suffixal element Note: Latin hērēd- has been directly compared with the base of Greek chērōstaí "kinsmen inheriting the property of a person lacking closer relatives" (with the agent suffix -tēs). Opposing the interpretation of -ēd-/-ōd- as a suffixal element is an older explanation that sees the etymon as a compound of ǵ^heh₁ro- and the verbal base h₁ed- "eat"—the whole hence meaning approximately "that which devours what is left behind." (The Greek outcome would then be from ǵ^heh₁ro-h₁d-, with zero grade of the verb.) The adjective ǵ^heh₁ro- has been taken as a derivative of the verbal base ǵ^heh₁- "let go, leave behind" (see go entry 1). Verb Middle English erren, heyren,* derivative of eir, eyre heir entry 1 First Known Use Noun 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb 14th century, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing heir heir apparent heir presumptive heir at law co-heir heir apparent heir presumptive heir at law co-heir Kids Definition heir noun ˈer 1 : a person who inherits or has the right to inherit property after the death of its owner 2 : a person who has legal claim to a title or a throne when the person holding it dies Legal Definition heir noun ˈar : one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to the possession of property after the death of its owner: as a : one who by operation of law inherits the property and especially the real property of a person who dies without leaving a valid will —used in jurisdictions whose law is based on English common law called also heir at law, heir general, legal heir compare issue b in the civil law of Louisiana : one who succeeds to the estate of a person by will or especially by operation of law see also intestacy, unworthy compare ancestor, devisee, legatee, next of kin, successor — apparent heir : heir apparent in this entry — beneficiary heir in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who exercises the benefit of inventory which limits the amount of his or her liability for the decedent's debts — bodily heir : heir of the body in this entry — forced heir : an heir who cannot be disinherited except for causes recognized by law especially, in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who because of youth or mental or physical infirmity cannot care for himself or herself and who cannot be deprived of his or her lawful portion of the decedent's estate by disinherison without just cause see also legitime — heir ab intestato \\ -ˌab-ˌin-tes-ˈtā-tō, -ˌäb-ˌin-tes-ˈtä-tō \\ plural heirs ab intestato in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir that takes only by operation of the laws governing intestate succession — heir apparent plural heirs apparent : an heir whose right to an inheritance cannot be voided or undone except by exclusion under a valid will if he or she survives the ancestor called also apparent heir compare heir presumptive in this entry — heir at law : heir sense a — heir general plural heirs general : heir sense a — heir in tail : an heir to a fee-tail estate called also heir of entail — heir of the body : an heir who is a lineal descendant especially as contrasted with a collateral descendant called also bodily heir — heir presumptive plural heirs presumptive : an heir whose right to inherit may be defeated by the birth of a nearer relative or by exclusion under a valid will called also presumptive heir compare heir apparent in this entry — instituted heir in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who is named in the will but whose legacy will fall to a substitute legatee under a vulgar substitution in the event that he or she refuses the legacy or dies before the testator called also instituted legatee — irregular heir in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who inherits a right of action to the estate as distinguished from seisin Note: This class of heirs was eliminated as of January 1, 1982. Formerly, a decedent's illegitimate children and spouse were considered irregular heirs. — legal heir : heir sense a specifically, in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who receives seisin immediately after the death of the intestate by operation of law compare irregular heir in this entry Note: Prior to 1982 the Louisiana Civil Code distinguished between legal and irregular heirs who were required to go through an additional procedure in order to receive possession of the property. This division of heirs was eliminated in the 1981 revision of the Civil Code. — natural heir : an heir (as a child) whose status as an heir arises from especially close blood relationship as distinguished from one (as the state) whose status arises by operation of statute — presumptive heir : heir presumptive in this entry — pretermitted heir : a descendant of a testator who would be an heir under the laws of intestacy but who is not named to take under the will Note: Most states have statutes requiring a share of the estate to go to a pretermitted heir, especially one born after the execution of the will, on the assumption that the omission was unintentional. — right heir : an heir by blood : the particular heir granted or devised an estate tail as distinguished from the heirs in general — testamentary heir in the civil law of Louisiana : an heir who inherits under a will heirs noun plural of heir as in inheritors a person who has the right to inherit property upon his death, Mr. Parkworth's property was divided evenly among his heirs, four sons and three daughters Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance inheritors descendants legatees descendents heiresses successors claimants co-heirs beneficiaries devisees coheirs heirs at law assignees co-heiresses coheiresses grantees heirs apparent representatives scions succeeders
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heir

noun

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing heir

Kids Definition

noun

Legal Definition

noun

noun