Primogeniture
[,praɪmə(ʊ)'dʒenɪtʃə] or [,praɪmo'dʒɛnɪtʃɚ]
Definition
(noun.) right of inheritance belongs exclusively to the eldest son.
Edited by Leah--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) The state of being the firstborn of the same parents; seniority by birth among children of the same family.
(a.) The exclusive right of inheritance which belongs to the eldest son. Thus in England the right of inheriting the estate of the father belongs to the eldest son, and in the royal family the eldest son of the sovereign is entitled to the throne by primogeniture. In exceptional cases, among the female children, the crown descends by right of primogeniture to the eldest daughter only and her issue.
Checked by Danny
Examples
- Secondly, In Pennsylvania there is no right of primogeniture, and lands, like moveables, are divided equally among all the children of the family. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- Hence the origin of the right of primogeniture, and of what is called lineal succession. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- Entails are the natural consequences of the law of primogeniture. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- That smacks of rights of primogeniture. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Is Richard's title of primogeniture more decidedly certain than that of Duke Robert of Normandy, the Conqueror's eldest son? Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
Edited by Angelina