Definitions for inheritance
ɪnˈhɛr ɪ tənsin·her·i·tance

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. inheritance, heritagenoun

   hereditary succession to a title or an office or property

2. inheritance, heritagenoun

   that which is inherited; a title or property or estate that passes by law to the heir on the death of the owner

3. inheritance, hereditary patternnoun

   (genetics) attributes acquired via biological heredity from the parents

4. inheritance, heritagenoun

   any attribute or immaterial possession that is inherited from ancestors

   "my only inheritance was my mother's blessing"; "the world's heritage of knowledge"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. inheritancenoun

   The passing of title to an estate upon death.

   Etymology: Recorded since 1473, from to inherit, itself from enheriter "make heir, appoint as heir," from inhereditare "to appoint as heir," from in- "in" + hereditare "to inherit," from heres (gen. heredis) "heir".

2. inheritancenoun

   That which a person is entitled to inherit, by law or testament.

   Etymology: Recorded since 1473, from to inherit, itself from enheriter "make heir, appoint as heir," from inhereditare "to appoint as heir," from in- "in" + hereditare "to inherit," from heres (gen. heredis) "heir".

3. inheritancenoun

   (biology) The hereditary passing of biological attributes from ancestors to their offspring.

   Etymology: Recorded since 1473, from to inherit, itself from enheriter "make heir, appoint as heir," from inhereditare "to appoint as heir," from in- "in" + hereditare "to inherit," from heres (gen. heredis) "heir".

4. inheritancenoun

   In object-oriented programming, the mechanism whereby parts of a superclass are available to instances of its subclass.

   Etymology: Recorded since 1473, from to inherit, itself from enheriter "make heir, appoint as heir," from inhereditare "to appoint as heir," from in- "in" + hereditare "to inherit," from heres (gen. heredis) "heir".

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Inheritancenoun

   the act or state of inheriting; as, the inheritance of an estate; the inheritance of mental or physical qualities

   Etymology: [Cf. OF. enheritance.]

2. Inheritancenoun

   that which is or may be inherited; that which is derived by an heir from an ancestor or other person; a heritage; a possession which passes by descent

   Etymology: [Cf. OF. enheritance.]

3. Inheritancenoun

   a permanent or valuable possession or blessing, esp. one received by gift or without purchase; a benefaction

   Etymology: [Cf. OF. enheritance.]

4. Inheritancenoun

   possession; ownership; acquisition

   Etymology: [Cf. OF. enheritance.]

5. Inheritancenoun

   transmission and reception by animal or plant generation

   Etymology: [Cf. OF. enheritance.]

6. Inheritancenoun

   a perpetual or continuing right which a man and his heirs have to an estate; an estate which a man has by descent as heir to another, or which he may transmit to another as his heir; an estate derived from an ancestor to an heir in course of law

   Etymology: [Cf. OF. enheritance.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Inheritance

   Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies. The rules of inheritance differ between societies and have changed over time. The term is also used to refer to the passing of characteristics, for example, genetically or in computing.

Matched Categories

1. • Attribute
   • Law
   • Transferred Property

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'inheritance' in Nouns Frequency: #2592

How to pronounce inheritance?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say inheritance in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of inheritance in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of inheritance in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of inheritance in a Sentence

1. Carly Fiorina:

   Donald, sorry, I've got to interrupt again. You would know something about pathological, how was that meeting with Putin? Or Wharton? Or your self funded campaign? Anyone can turn a multi-million dollar inheritance into more money, but all the money in the world won't make you as smart as Ben Carson.

2. Alan Watts:

   Some believe all that parents, tutors, and kindred believe. They take their principles by inheritance, and defend them as they would their estates, because they are born heirs to them.

3. Molly Ringwald:

   [The John Hughes movies] were really unique and really fun and he basically got that whole teen 'thing' in a way that nobody has gotten since, except for a movie that I really love that I think is the inheritance of John Hughes, to my mind, I think 'Eighth Grade' completely gets it. Elsie Fisher's performance is incredible. I think what it really shares with the John Hughes films is the fact that it's really funny and yet it's really moving.

4. Sher Mohammad:

   Islam has given women all fundamental rights, such as business and ownership, inheritance, education, work, choosing one's husband, security and the right to good life.

5. Henry Brougham:

   It was the boast of Augustus that he found Rome of brick and left it of marble. But how much nobler will be the sovereign's boast when he shall have it to say that he found law... a sealed book and left it a living letter found it the patrimony of the rich and left it the inheritance of the poor found it the two-edged sword of craft and oppression and left it the staff of honesty and the shield of innocence.

Images & Illustrations of inheritance

Popularity rank by frequency of use