Heir

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Dictionary Meaning and Definition on 'Heir'

Heir Meaning and Definition from WordNet (r) 2.0
    heir n
  1. a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another [syn: inheritor, heritor]
  2. a person who inherits some title or office [syn: successor]
Heir Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
    Heir \Heir\, v. t. To inherit; to succeed to. [R.] One only daughter heired the royal state. --Dryden.
Heir Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
    Heir \Heir\, n. [OE. heir, eir, hair, OF. heir, eir, F. hoir, L. heres; of uncertain origin. Cf. Hereditary, Heritage.]
  1. 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. I am my father's heir and only son. --Shak.
  2. One who receives any endowment from an ancestor or relation; as, the heir of one's reputation or virtues. And I his heir in misery alone. --Pope. Heir apparent. (Law.) See under Apparent. Heir at law, one who, after his ancector's death, has a right to inherit all his intestate estate. --Wharton (Law Dict.). Heir presumptive, one who, if the ancestor should die immediately, would be his heir, but whose right to the inheritance may be defeated by the birth of a nearer relative, or by some other contingency.
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Wikipedia Meaning and Definition on 'Heir'


Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies. The rules of inheritance differ between societies and have changed over time.

In jurisdictions, an heir is a person who is entitled to receive a share of the decedent's property, via the rules of inheritance in the jurisdiction where the decedent died or owned property at the time of death. Strictly speaking, one becomes an heir only upon the death of the decedent. It is improper to speak of the "heir" of a living person, since the exact identity of the persons entitled to inherit are not determined until the time of death. In a case where an individual has such a position that only her/his own death before that of the decedent would prevent the individual from becoming an heir, the individual is called an heir apparent. There is a further concept of jointly inheriting, pending renunciation by all but one, which is called coparceny.

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'Heir' in famous quotation sentence


* To be, or not to be that is the question Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them To die to sleep No more and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to,--'t is a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep To sleep perchance to dream ay, there's the rub For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of Thus conscience does make cowards of us all And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. - William Shakespeare

* To state the facts frankly is not to despair the future nor indict the past. The prudent heir takes careful inventory of his legacies and gives a faithful accounting to those whom he owes an obligation of trust. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy


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Heir Sample Sentences in News


  • There's no heir to Jordan - Florida Times-Union
    When Michael Jordan retired from the NBA (the third time … finally and completely) people used to ask “Who will be the next Jordan?” The question went beyond his five MVPs and six championships. Jordan ruled the NBA like a banana-republic ... Read more on this news related to 'Heir'
  • Derry Heir defeats Duck Hill Farm/Casa Azul in Aiken Cup - Aiken Standard
    A late rally helped propel Derry Heir to an 8-6 victory over Duck Hill Farm/Casa Azul Friday afternoon in the Aiken Polo Club's Smoak Family Aiken Cup 8-goal tournament at Fox Nation West. Derry Heir was helped by Eddy Martinez's 7 goal performance, but it ... Read more on this news related to 'Heir'
  • Charles Windsor: prince, heir to the throne … weather forecaster - The Guardian
    It was indeed, as the new weatherman on BBC Scotland pronounced, an unsettled – not to say unsettling – picture. The forecast was vile but the diction immaculate, as he predicted "a little hazy sunshine for the Castle of Mey in Caithness ... Read more on this news related to 'Heir'

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