Heir

16 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Heir \Heir\ ([^a]r), n. [OE. heir, eir, hair, OF. heir, eir, F.
     hoir, L. heres; of uncertain origin. Cf. {Hereditary},
     {Heritage}.]
     1. One who inherits, or is entitled to succeed to the
        possession of, any property after the death of its owner;
        one on whom the law bestows the title or property of


        another at the death of the latter.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I am my father's heir and only son.   --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. One who receives any endowment from an ancestor or
        relation; as, the heir of one's reputation or virtues.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              And I his heir in misery alone.       --Pope.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Heir apparent}. (Law.) See under {Apparent}.
  
     {Heir at law}, one who, after his ancector's death, has a
        right to inherit all his intestate estate. --Wharton (Law
        Dict.).
  
     {Heir presumptive}, one who, if the ancestor should die
        immediately, would be his heir, but whose right to the
        inheritance may be defeated by the birth of a nearer
        relative, or by some other contingency.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Heir \Heir\, v. t.
     To inherit; to succeed to. [R.]
     [1913 Webster]
  
           One only daughter heired the royal state. --Dryden.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  heir
       n 1: a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to
            inherit the estate of another [syn: {inheritor}, {heritor}]
       2: a person who inherits some title or office [syn: {successor}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  70 Moby Thesaurus words for "heir":
     aftermath, apparent heir, backup man, beneficiary,
     beneficiary heir, breed, brood, children, conclusion, consequence,
     coparcener, descendant, descendants, descent, dynasty, effect,
     family, fideicommissary heir, fiduciary heir, fruit, grandchildren,
     great-grandchildren, heir apparent, heir expectant, heir general,
     heir in tail, heir of entail, heir of inventory, heir of line,
     heir portioner, heir presumptive, heir whatsoever, heiress, heirs,
     heritor, hostages to fortune, inheritor, inheritors, inheritress,
     inheritrix, issue, joint heir, kids, legatee, line, lineage,
     little ones, new generation, next in line, offspring, orphan,
     posterity, presumptive heir, progeny, relict, remainderman,
     replacement, reversioner, rising generation, seed, sequel, sons,
     succession, successor, survivor, treasures, widow, widower,
     younglings, youngsters
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Heir
     Under the patriarchs the property of a father was divided among
     the sons of his legitimate wives (Gen. 21:10; 24:36; 25:5), the
     eldest son getting a larger portion than the rest. The Mosaic
     law made specific regulations regarding the transmission of real
     property, which are given in detail in Deut. 21:17; Num. 27:8;
     36:6; 27:9-11. Succession to property was a matter of right and
     not of favour. Christ is the "heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2;
     Col. 1:15). Believers are heirs of the "promise," "of
     righteousness," "of the kingdom," "of the world," "of God,"
     "joint heirs" with Christ (Gal 3:29; Heb. 6:17; 11:7; James 2:5;
     Rom. 4:13; 8:17).
     

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR. One born in lawful matrimony, who succeeds by descent, and right of 
  blood, to lands, tenements or hereditaments, being an estate of inheritance. 
  It is an established rule of law, that God alone can make an heir. Beame's 
  Glanville, 143; 1 Thomas, Co. Lit. 931; and Butler's note, p. 938. Under the 
  word heirs are comprehended the heirs of heirs in infinitum. 1 Co. Litt. 7 
  b, 9 a, 237 b; Wood's Inst. 69. According to many authorities, heir may be 
  nomen collectivuum, as well in a deed as in a will, and operate in both in 
  the same manner, as heirs in the plural number. 1 Roll. Abr. 253; Ambl. 453; 
  Godb. 155; T. Jones, 111; Cro, Eliz. 313; 1 Burr. 38; 10 Vin. Abr. 233, pl. 
  1; 8 Vin. Abr. 233; sed vide 2 Prest. on, Est. 9, 10. In wills, in order to 
  effectuate the intention of the testator, the word heirs is sometimes 
  construed to mean next of kin; 1 Jac. & Walk. 388; and children, Ambl. 273. 
  See further, as to the force and import of this word, 2 Vent. 311; 1 P. Wms. 
  229; 3 Bro. P. C. 60, 454; 2 P. Wms. 1, 369; 2 Black. R. 1010; 4 Ves. 26, 
  766, 794; 2 Atk. 89, 580; 5 East Rep. 533; 5 Burr. 2615; 11 Mod. 189; 8 Vin. 
  Abr. 317; 1 T. R. 630; Bac. Abr. Estates in fee simple, B. 
       2. There are several kinds of heirs specified below.
       3. By the civil law, heirs are divided into testamentary or instituted 
  heirs legal heirs, or heirs of the blood; to which the Civil Code of 
  Louisiana has added irregular heirs. They are also divided into 
  unconditional and beneficiary heirs. 
       4. It is proper here to notice a difference in the meaning of the word 
  heir, as it is understood by the common and by, the civil law. By the civil 
  law, the term heirs was applied to all persons who were called to the 
  succession, whether by the act of the party or by operation of law. The 
  person who was created universal successor by a will, was called the 
  testamentary heir; and the next of kin by blood was, in cases of intestacy, 
  called the heir at law, or heir by intestacy. The executor of the common law 
  is, in many respects, not unlike the testamentary heir of the civil law. 
  Again, the administrator in many respects corresponds with the heir by 
  intestacy. By the common law, executors unless expressly authorized by the 
  will and administrators, have no right, except to the personal estate of the 
  deceased; whereas, the heir by the civil law was authorized to administer 
  both the personal and real estate. 1 Brown's Civ. Law, 344; Story, Confl. of 
  Laws, Sec. 508. 
       5. All free persons, even minors, lunatics, persons of insane mind or 
  the like, may transmit their estates as intestate ab intestato, and inherit 
  from others. Civ. Code of Lo., 945; Accord, Co. Lit. 8 a. 
       6. The child in its mother's womb, is considered as born for all 
  purposes of its own interest; it takes all successions opened in its favor, 
  after its conception, provided it be capable of succeeding at the moment of 
  its birth. Civ. Code of Lo. 948. Nevertheless, if the child conceived is 
  reputed born, it is only in the hope of its birth; it is necessary then that 
  the child be born alive, for it cannot be said that those who are born dead 
  ever inherited. Id. 949. See In ventre sa mere. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, LEGAL, civil law. A legal heir is one who is of the same blood of the 
  deceased, and who takes the succession by force of law; this is different 
  from a testamentary or conventional heir, who takes the succession in virtue 
  of the disposition of man. See Civil, Code of Louis. art. 873, 875; Dict. de 
  Jurisp., Heritier legitime. There are three classes of legal heirs, to wit; 
  the children and other lawful descendants; the fathers and mothers and other 
  lawful ascendants; and the collateral kindred. Civ. Code of Lo. art. 883. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, COLLATERAL. A collateral heir is one who is not of the direct line of 
  the deceased, but comes from a collateral line; as, a brother, sister, an 
  uncle and aunt, a nephew, niece, or cousin of the deceased. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, CONVENTIONAL, civil law. A conventional heir is one who takes a 
  succession by virtue of a contract; for example, a marriage contract, which 
  entitles the heir to the succession. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, FORCED. Forced heirs are those who cannot be disinherited. This term 
  is used among the civilians. Vide Forced heirs 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, GENERAL. Heir at common in the English law. The heir at common law is 
  he who, after his father or ancestor's death has a right to, and is 
  introduced into all his lands, tenements and hereditaments. He must be of 
  the whole blood, not a bastard, alien, &c. Bac. Abr. Heir, B 2; Coparceners; 
  Descent. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, IRREGULAR. In Louisiana, irregular heirs are those who are neither 
  testamentary nor legal, and who have been established by law to take the 
  succession. See Civ. Code of Lo. art. 874. When the deceased has left 
  neither lawful descendants nor ascendants, nor collateral relations, the law 
  calls to his inheritance either the surviving husband or wife, or his or her 
  natural children, or the state. Id. art., 911. This is called an irregular 
  succession. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR. APPARENT. One who has an indefeasible right to the inheritance, 
  provided he outlive the ancestor. 2 Bl. Com. 208. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, BENEFICIARY. A term used in the civil law. Beneficiary heirs are those 
  who have accepted the succession under the benefit of an inventory regularly 
  made. Civ. Code of Lo. art. 879. If the heir apprehend that the succession
  will be burdened with debts beyond its value, he accepts with benefit of 
  inventory, and in that case he is responsible only for the value of the 
  succession. See inventory, benefit of. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, TESTAMENTARY, civil law. A testamentary heir is one who is constituted 
  heir by testament executed in the form prescribed by law. He is so called to 
  distinguish him from the legal heirs, who are called to the succession by 
  the law; and from conventional heirs, who are so constituted by a contract 
  inter vivos. See Haeres factus; Devisee. 
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  HEIR, UNCONDITIONAL. A term used in the civil law, adopted by the Civil Code 
  of Louisiana. Unconditional heirs are those who inherit without any 
  reservation, or without making an inventory, whether their acceptance be 
  express or tacit. Civ. Code of Lo. art. 878.