Inherit Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)
Britannica Dictionary definition of INHERIT
[+ object]
1
:
to receive (money, property, etc.) from someone when that person dies
- She inherited the family business from her father.
— compare disinherit
2
a
biology
:
to have (a characteristic, disease, etc.) because of the genes that you get from your parents when you are born
- Baldness is inherited from the mother's side of the family.
- She inherited her father's deep blue eyes.
b
:
to get (a personal quality, interest, etc.) because of the influence or example of your parents or other relatives
- She inherited a love of baseball/cooking from her dad.
3
a
:
to receive (something) from someone who had it previously
- When my brother left for college, I inherited his old computer.
b
:
to have to deal with (a situation, problem, etc.) when you take a job or position that someone else had before you
- The company's new president will inherit some complicated legal problems.
- When the coach quit, her assistant inherited a last-place team.
— inheritable
adjective
an inheritable disease
an inherited estate
inherited [=_hereditary_] titles
an inherited disease/disorder
— inheritor
noun,
plural
inheritors
[count]
- inheritors of the estate
- The new coach is an inheritor of a great team legacy.
- inheritors of a longtime family tradition