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inherit

 
Dictionary: in·her·it   (ĭn-hĕr'ĭt) pronunciation

v., -it·ed, -it·ing, -its.

v.tr.
    1. To receive (property or a title, for example) from an ancestor by legal succession or will.
    2. To receive by bequest or as a legacy.
  1. To receive or take over from a predecessor: The new administration inherited the economic problems of the last four years.
  2. Biology. To receive (a characteristic) from one's parents by genetic transmission.
  3. To gain (something) as one's right or portion.
v.intr.
To hold or take possession of an inheritance.

[Middle English enheriten, from Old French enheriter, to make heir to, from Late Latin inhērēditāre, to inherit : Latin in-, in; see in-2 + Late Latin hērēditāre, to inherit (from Latin hērēs, hērēd-, heir).]

inheritor in·her'i·tor n.

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Business Dictionary: Inherit
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To acquire a property from one who died, either by devise (Will) or by descent (from one's ancestor by operation of law).

Thesaurus: inherit
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verb

    To receive (property) from one who has died: come into. See get/lose, law.

Law Encyclopedia: Inherit
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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

To receive property according to the state laws of intestate succession from a decedent who has failed to execute a valid will, or, where the term is applied in a more general sense, to receive the property of a decedent by will.

Veterinary Dictionary: inherited
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Received by inheritance.

  • i. achondroplastic dwarfism — see achondroplastic dwarfism.
  • i. combined immunodeficiency — see combined immune deficiency syndrome (disease).
  • i. congenital defects — inherited defects visible at birth.
  • i. defects — conditions caused by genes which condition the structure or function of an organ or tissue.
  • i. diseases — see inherited defects.
  • i. metabolic defects — errors of metabolism conditioned by genes.
  • i. trait — a distinguishing characteristic or quality received by inheritance.
Word Tutor: inherit
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: To get from someone who has died.

pronunciation In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. — Al Rogers

Wikipedia: Inherit
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To inherit something is to get it from one's ancestors through legal succession (e.g., "inherit the throne"), or through a bequest (e.g., "inherited money from his deceased aunt"), or from genetic transmission (e.g., "inherited color-blindness from his father"). As a related definition, it can mean to take power or possession due to a perceived right or dominating ability to do so (e.g., "Their children's children will inherit the earth"; or, "The nobility of the invading tribe will inherit the ruling-caste positions of Xopanthia").

As a further related definition, it can also mean — in a more general sense — to derive a characteristic from people, groups or objects which were influential at some time in the past, even if such people/groups/objects are not "ancestral" to those who receive the characteristic (as in, for example, "The Western Europeans, during the Middle Ages, inherited the learning of the Arabs by translating many of their important writings").

Other specific meanings and related articles:


Translations: Inherit
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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - arve, få
v. intr. - arve

Nederlands (Dutch)
erven

Français (French)
v. tr. - hériter, succéder à, (fig) hériter de
v. intr. - hériter

Deutsch (German)
v. - erben

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - κληρονομώ

Italiano (Italian)
ereditare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - herdar

Русский (Russian)
наследовать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - heredar
v. intr. - heredar, suceder, ser heredero

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - ärva (äv. bildl.)

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
继承, 经遗传而获得, 接受遗产

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 繼承, 經遺傳而獲得
v. intr. - 接受遺產

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 상속하다, 이어받다
v. intr. - 재산을 상속하다, 권한을 이어받다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 受け継ぐ, 相続する, 受ける, 後を継ぐ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يرث‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮ירש‬
v. intr. - ‮ירש‬


 
 
Learn More
intestate succession
Legatees (insurance term)
Decreased penetrance (in medicine)

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Business Dictionary. Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Law Encyclopedia. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
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