I. ˈe](ə)r, ˈa(a)], ]ə\ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English eir, heir, from Old French, from Latin hered-, heres; akin to Greek chēros left, bereaved, Old English gān to go — more at go
1.
a. : one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to the possession of property after the death of its owner: as
(1) : heir at law
(2) : heres
(3) : one who in modern civil codes based upon the civil law (as in Europe) succeeds to the entire estate of a person by operation of law or by testament and has a right of renunciation and usually a right of entry with the benefit of inventory
(4) Scots law : one taking heritable property by destination : one who succeeds only to movable estate
(5) : one who receives some of the property of a deceased person by operation of law, by virtue of a will, or in any of various other ways
b. : one who receives or is entitled to receive property during the lifetime of a former owner
made his friend heir of the farm after deciding to live elsewhere
2. : one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office upon the death or removal from office by other cause (as abdication) of the holder
heir to the principality of Monaco
succession to the throne by the king's heir following his abdication
3. : one to whom something other than property (as a position of leadership, participation in a tradition or culture, a natural talent, a quality of character) is transmitted or seems to be transmitted in accordance with or apart from the wish of a predecessor and with or without the necessity of direct succession
looked upon himself as the logical heir of the slain dictator
was the heir of the two chief traditions of scholarship in Europe — R.W.Southern
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
now chiefly dialect : inherit