HEIR

[noun] [C] - a person who will legally receive money, property or a title from another person, esp. an older member of the same family, when that other person diesThe guest of honour was the Romanoff heir to the throne of all Russia.He was the rightful heir to the Duke of Marlborough and a £100 million fortune.Their fourth child was the long-awaited male heir.Despite having a large family, they still had no son and heir.(figurative) Imam Ali, the prophet's son-in-law, is regarded by Shia Muslims as the heir to Mohammed's spiritual authority.(figurative) The French finance minister is heir to a tradition of central control that goes back to Louis XIV's minister, Colbert.(figurative) When we bought the business we were heir to (= received from previous owners) a lot of administrative problems.(figurative) The finance director Maria Braun was the heir apparent to current chairman Gerhard Benz.See also heiress.The heir apparent is the person with the automatic right to legally receive all or most of the money, property, titles, etc. from another person when they die, or (figurative) a person who seems certain to take the place of someone in power when they stop working.The Prince of Wales is the heir apparent to the throne.