Inherited
/ɪnˈherɪtɪd/noun
Received from a predecessor, especially through legal succession, family transmission, or genetic inheritance.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces to Latin legal language surrounding the *heres*, the person recognized as an heir and successor to another’s property or status.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰer- / *gʰē- (proposed)
“A disputed ancestral root associated with inheriting or receiving by succession; the deeper origin of Latin *heres* is uncertain.”
Ancient Rome
Latin
heres
“Heir; a person legally entitled to succeed to another’s estate.”
Classical Latin
Latin
hereditare
“To make someone an heir, or to inherit property.”
11th–12th Century
Old French
enheriter / heriter
“To inherit; to receive property or rights as an heir.”
Middle English
English
enheriten / inheriten
“To inherit, receive by succession, or possess as an heir.”
Modern English
English
inherited
“Received in the past through succession, transmission, or genetic descent.”