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heir

(âr)

1. A person who inherits or is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another.

2. A person who succeeds or is in line to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office.

3. One who receives or is expected to receive a heritage, as of ideas, from a predecessor.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin hērēs; see ghē- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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