inheritance — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The passing of title to an estate upon death.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. That which a person is entitled to inherit, by law or testament, such as the part of an estate (i.e., a portion).

   Usage

   • Countable

3. The act or mechanism of inheriting; the state of having inherited.

   Usage

   • especially
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The Indo-European languages share various similarities as a result of their inheritance from a common ancestor.

4. The biological attributes passed hereditarily from ancestors to their offspring.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

5. The mechanism whereby parts of a superclass are available to instances of its subclass.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Noun

1. hereditary succession to a title or an office or property

   Synonyms

   heritage

   Broader terms

   acquisition

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

   Synonyms

   heritage

   Broader terms

   transferred propertytransferred possession

3. (genetics) attributes acquired via biological heredity from the parents

   Synonyms

   hereditary pattern

   Broader terms

   hereditygenetic endowment

4. any attribute or immaterial possession that is inherited from ancestors

   Synonyms

   heritage

   Broader terms

   attribute

   Examples

   my only inheritance was my mother's blessing

   the world's heritage of knowledge