Inherit
[ɪn'herɪt] or [ɪn'hɛrɪt]
Definition
(verb.) obtain from someone after their death; 'I inherited a castle from my French grandparents'.
(verb.) receive by genetic transmission; 'I inherited my good eyesight from my mother'.
(verb.) receive from a predecessor; 'The new chairman inherited many problems from the previous chair'.
Checker: Walter--From WordNet
Definition
(v. t.) To take by descent from an ancestor; to take by inheritance; to take as heir on the death of an ancestor or other person to whose estate one succeeds; to receive as a right or title descendible by law from an ancestor at his decease; as, the heir inherits the land or real estate of his father; the eldest son of a nobleman inherits his father's title; the eldest son of a king inherits the crown.
(v. t.) To receive or take by birth; to have by nature; to derive or acquire from ancestors, as mental or physical qualities; as, he inherits a strong constitution, a tendency to disease, etc.
(v. t.) To come into possession of; to possess; to own; to enjoy as a possession.
(v. t.) To put in possession of.
(v. i.) To take or hold a possession, property, estate, or rights by inheritance.
Edited by Helen
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. a. Take from ancestors, take by inheritance, come into possession of as an heir.
Typed by Freddie
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Occupy, possess, enjoy
ANT:Acquire, earn, gain, squander, alienate, dissipate, bequeath, leave, demise,devise
Typed by Garrett
Definition
v.t. to take as heir or by descent from an ancestor: to possess.—v.i. to enjoy as property.—adj. Inher′itable same as Heritable.—ns. Inher′itance that which is or may be inherited: an estate derived from an ancestor: hereditary descent: natural gift: possession; Inher′itor one who inherits or may inherit: an heir:—fem. Inher′itress Inher′itrix.
Checker: Shari
Examples
- Even dear Mr. Godfrey partakes of the fallen nature which we all inherit from Adam--it is a very small share of our human legacy, but, alas! Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- One of the lesser breed should feel honoured that a member of the holy race that was born to inherit life eternal should deign even to notice him. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Well, sir, that if I lived to inherit my father's estate, and her house, I was to take the name of Keeldar, and to make Fieldhead my residence. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- A young man of thirty years of age, sound of mind and body, who is fortunate enough to inherit six thousand a year, ought to be happy. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- You inherit the gift. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- This is the world from which we inherit. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Then, havi ng inherited land in Berwickshire, he studied husbandry in Norfolk and took interest in the surface of the land and water-courses; later he pursued these studies in Flanders. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- Of the two sons, the eldest, Arthur, inherited the title and estates. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- He returned to London, left the army, and went away to the East, with a considerable sum of money which he inherited from his mother. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Unless favourable variations be inherited by some at least of the offspring, nothing can be effected by natural selection. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- So, Miss Summerson, she would say to me with stately triumph, this, you see, is the fortune inherited by my son. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- And I never knew much of my father, beyond what my mother told me; but he inherited the musical talents. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Bell, inheriting unusual knowledge of the laws of speech and sound, came from the other direction. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- The son inheriting, was so merciful as to forgive me both, and place me here. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- It certainly is a most iniquitous affair, said Mr. Bennet, and nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- He came from the working classes, inheriting no special gift for science, and little leisure to follow his own bent. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- And now, with something of the terror of a destructive child, he saw himself on the point of inheriting his own destruction. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- The truth is, my daughter inherits my superiority to reason--and, in respect to that accomplishment, has got a long way ahead of her own father. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Perhaps he inherits that misfortune. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- She inherits her mother's talents, and must have been under subjection to her. Jane Austen. Emma.
- The child inherits less definitely organized instincts, but gre ater plasticity, than the lower animals. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
Edited by Clare