inheritance

inheritance — noun

1. Money, property, or other valuable items that a person receives when a relative

1.nounB1
Definition

Money, property, or other valuable items that a person receives when a relative or friend dies and leaves those things to them.

Example

When Élise's aunt passed away, she received a large inheritance in cash and jewelry.

receive + an inheritance — common verb collocation

The old farmhouse was the only inheritance left to Caleb by his grandfather.

Common collocations
  • leave someone an inheritance
  • receive an inheritance
  • inheritance tax
  • claim an inheritance
  • inheritance from + [person]
  • share of the inheritance
Synonyms
  • legacy

    Often carries emotional weight and suggests something valuable passed on, such as reputation or tradition, not just property.

  • bequest

    Formal or legal term for something specifically named in a will; slightly narrower in scope.

  • estate

    Refers to everything a person owns at death, not what is received; broader than inheritance.

Grammar Patterns

inheritance + of + [property]

leave + someone + an inheritance

receive + an inheritance

Usage Note

Often used in the context of family law, wills, and estate planning. Can be countable (an inheritance) when referring to a specific amount or item left to someone, or uncountable when discussing the general concept.

Common Mistakes

I received an inherit from my uncle.
I received an inheritance from my uncle.
'inherit' is a verb; 'inheritance' is the noun form.
The inheritance was given to me while my grandmother was still alive.
The inheritance was left to me after my grandmother passed away.
Inheritance is received after death, not as a gift from a living person.

2. A physical feature, ability, or tendency that a child receives from a parent thr

2.nounB2
Definition

A physical feature, ability, or tendency that a child receives from a parent through the natural process of genes being passed on, or the process itself.

Example

Adaeze's dark curly hair is a genetic inheritance from her Nigerian mother.

genetic + inheritance — common collocation in biology

Scientists have been studying the inheritance of eye colour in families for over a century.

Common collocations
  • genetic inheritance
  • inheritance of + [trait]
  • pass down through inheritance
  • patterns of inheritance
  • inheritance from + [parent]
Synonyms
  • genetic makeup

    Refers to the complete set of inherited traits, not one individual feature.

  • heredity

    The abstract biological process of passing traits; more formal and scientific than inheritance.

  • genes

    The physical units of inheritance; often used in plural to refer to what causes a trait.

Grammar Patterns

genetic + inheritance

inheritance + from + [parent/family]

inheritance + of + [trait]

Usage Note

In formal science writing, this sense often appears in phrases like 'the inheritance of [trait]' or 'patterns of inheritance'. In everyday conversation, speakers are more likely to use the verb 'inherit' than the noun 'inheritance' for this meaning.

Common Mistakes

Her blue eyes are an inheritance from mother nature.
Her blue eyes are a genetic inheritance from her mother.
Use 'genetic' to clarify the biological sense, and specify the parent rather than an abstract source.
The inheritance of language happens through education.
The inheritance of eye colour follows predictable patterns in families.
For the biological sense, the trait must be genetically passed, not learned.

Word family

  • inherit
    verbB1
  • inheritor
    nounC1
  • inheritable
    adjectiveC2
  • hereditary
    adjectiveB2
  • heritage
    nounB2
  • disinherit
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Inheritance is the most general and everyday term for money or property received after someone's death. Legacy goes beyond material wealth and often includes reputation, values, or achievements left behind — for example, a musician's artistic legacy. Bequest is a formal term for a specific item or sum named in a will, such as 'a bequest of $10,000 to a charity'. Estate refers to everything a person owned at the time of death, not just what one person receives. A lawyer might say 'the estate is worth two million dollars' but 'Aarav's inheritance was the house and the savings account.'

inheritance ↗legacy ↗bequestestate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • right of inheritance
  • line of inheritance
  • inheritance from the past
  • inheritance through the family

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Inheritance entered Middle English from the Old French 'enheritance', which was built on the verb 'enheriter' (to make someone an heir). That verb came from the Latin 'inhereditare', a combination of 'in-' (into) and 'hereditare' (to inherit), which itself came from 'heres' (heir). The word has been used since the 1300s for property passed after death, and later expanded in the 1800s to cover biological traits passed from parents to children.