inheritance
/ˌɪnˈheɹətəns/in-HEH-ruh-tuhns
/ˌɪnˈhɛɹətəns/in-HEH-ruh-tuhns
Meaningthe act of receiving as heir
Common meaning: money or traits passed down
- inin, into; (before adjectives) not
- heritan heirLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 848 · scan
- ancenoun ending: doing, or the condition that results
‘in, into’ + ‘an heir’ → inheritance
Journey through time
- Latinhērēs, hērēdis‘an heir’
- Old Frenchheritersource
- Englishinherit‘to receive from someone who has died’
- Englishformed in English from inheritinheritance‘money or traits passed down’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from inherit + -ance.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), INHERIT, p.293 · scan
Roots
- hērēs, hērēdis Latin “an heir”
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