Heir
[eə] or [ɛr]
Definition
(noun.) a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another.
Edited by Elena--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) One who inherits, or is entitled to succeed to the possession of, any property after the death of its owner; one on whom the law bestows the title or property of another at the death of the latter.
(n.) One who receives any endowment from an ancestor or relation; as, the heir of one's reputation or virtues.
(v. t.) To inherit; to succeed to.
Typist: Winfred
Definition
n. one who inherits anything after the death of the owner: one entitled to anything after the present possessor: a child offspring:—fem. Heiress (ār′es).—v.t. Heir to inherit.—ns. Heir′-appā′rent the one by law acknowledged to be heir; Heir′-at-law an heir by legal right; Heir′dom Heir′ship.—adj. Heir′less without an heir.—ns. Heir′loom any piece of furniture or personal property which descends to the heir-at-law by special custom; Heir′-presump′tive one who will be heir if no nearer relative should be born.—Heir by custom one whose right as heir is determined by customary modes of descent as gavelkind &c.
Typed by Gwendolyn
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream that you fall heir to property or valuables, denotes that you are in danger of losing what you already possess. and warns you of coming responsibilities. Pleasant surprises may also follow this dream.
Typed by Jeanette
Examples
- He said, I have been through nearly every form of trial that human flesh is heir to, and I find that _there is nothing in life to fear but sin_. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- Here we cannot trace out the tangle of alliances and betrayals that ended in the ascendancy of this Octavian, the adopted heir of Julius C?sar. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Is not Polemarchus your heir? Plato. The Republic.
- Rebecca did not care much to go and see the son and heir. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Rawdon had stolen off though, to look after his son and heir; and came back to the company when he found that honest Dolly was consoling the child. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- But Matilda, though of the royal Saxon blood, was not the heir to the monarchy. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- Yes, he was his heir, and the old boy is nearly eighty--cram full of gout, too. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Heir and only child, Lord Saltire. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Rudolph, as you know, Rector, was the heir to Roylands, and Captain Silverton naturally wanted Rose to marry him, as the match was such a good one. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- It was he who sent me to England for you; it is he who is heir to your fine estate; and you—you are nothing but a pauper! Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- In his view he should himself have been heir of all my estates, and he deeply resented those social laws which made it impossible. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- If you were heir to a dukedom and a thousand pounds a day, do you mean to say you would not wish for possession? William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Her son and heir interrupted her at this moment, by such hard breathing as almost amounted to a snore. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- Tell me then, O thou heir of the argument, what did Simonides say, and according to you truly say, about justice? Plato. The Republic.
- Her father was heir-at-law to a great estate that had long lain unknown of, unclaimed, and accumulating. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- And the bulk of your fortune would be laid out in annuities on the authors or their heirs. Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- My alliance with him was the pledge of my sincerity, my union with his sister, my children, his presumptive heirs, were the hostages of my truth. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- When we were about to sign the above-mentioned articles, which were to be binding on us, our heirs, &c. Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
- If she was executed, the fact remains that her three sons, together with two nephews, became the appointed heirs of Constantine. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- She left solitude and silence co-heirs of her kingdom. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- The reputation of Rome has flourished through the prosperity of her heirs. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Gray lizards, those heirs of ruin, of sepulchres and desolation, glided in and out among the rocks or lay still and sunned themselves. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Posterity became my heirs. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- And they received this glorious legacy like ill-bred heirs; it meant no more to them than a fresh occasion for atrocious disputes. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- The Lord hath ordained to every man the share of his inheritance; a testament is not lawful to the prejudice of heirs. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- The splendid opening of the story of Islam collapses suddenly into this squalid dispute and bickering of heirs and widows. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Sold for the benefit of the creditors and heirs of the estate of Jesse Blutchford, SAMUEL MORRIS, THOMAS FLINT, _Executors_. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- The promise of this is our heritage, we look forward like heirs to their majority. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Medi?val Germany went as far as any of the Western heirs of the first great civilizations towards a fixation of classes. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- A property of a thousand a year belonged to it, which property had descended, for lack of male heirs, on a female. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
Edited by Charlene