inherit
English
Etymology
From Middle English enheriten, from Old French enheriter, from Late Latin inhereditare (“make heir”). Displaced native Old English ierfan.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪnˈhɛɹɪt/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛɹɪt
Verb
inherit (third-person singular simple present inherits, present participle inheriting, simple past and past participle inherited)
- (transitive) To take possession of as a right (especially in Biblical translations).
- Your descendants will inherit the earth.
- (transitive) To receive (property, a title, etc.), by legal succession or bequest after the previous owner's death.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess:
- ‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’
- After Grandad died, I inherited the house.
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- (transitive, biology) To receive a characteristic from one's ancestors by genetic transmission.
- Let's hope the baby inherits his mother's looks and his father's intelligence.
- (transitive) To derive from people or conditions previously in force.
- This country has inherited an invidious class culture.
- (intransitive) To come into an inheritance.
- Lucky old Daniel – his grandfather died rich, and he's inherited.
- (computing, programming, transitive) To derive (existing functionality) from a superclass.
- ModalWindow inherits all the properties and methods of Window.
- (computing, programming, transitive) To derive a new class from (a superclass).
- 2006, Daniel Solis, Illustrated C# 2005:
- For example, the following two code segments, from different assemblies, show how easy it is to inherit a class from another assembly.
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- (transitive, obsolete) To put in possession of.
- c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:
- This, or else nothing, will inherit her
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Usage notes
- Do not confuse with inherent.
Derived terms
- classical inheritance
- coinherit
- coinheritance
- coinheritor
- composition over inheritance
- disinherit
- disinheritance
- disinheriting
- disinheritor
- inheritability
- inheritable
- inheritableness
- inheritably
- inheritance
- inheritance powder
- inheritance tax
- inheritee
- inheriter
- inheriting
- inheritor
- inheritour
- inheritress
- inheritrix
- multiple inheritance
- noninheritable
- noninheritance
- noninherited
- noninheriting
- uninheritable
Translations
to take possession of as a right
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to receive property or a title by legal succession etc.
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to receive a characteristic by genetic transmission
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to derive from people or conditions previously in force
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to come into an inheritance
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