Inherit: Receiving What Someone Else Built
To inherit is to receive property, a trait or a situation from someone before you. Genetics and software borrowed the word wholesale.
To inherit is to receive something from a predecessor: money from a relative, blue eyes from a parent, a crisis from the last government. Biology and programming both borrowed the word because it is exactly right — an inherited feature arrives without being asked for or earned.
- To receive property from someone who has died. *She inherited the house.*
- To receive a characteristic genetically. *He inherited his father's height.*
- To take over a situation. *The new manager inherited a weak squad.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | inherit | They inherit the estate. |
| Past | inherited | An inherited condition. |
| Noun | inheritance | A large inheritance. |
| Person | heir | The rightful heir. |
| Adjective | hereditary | A hereditary title. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He inherited the business from his aunt.Inherit from names the source.
- The condition is inherited.Passed on genetically.
- Inheritance tax is charged above the threshold.A tax on estates, in several countries.
Inheritance words
- Heir — the person who inherits
- Estate — everything the deceased owned
- Will — the document setting out who gets what
- Intestate — dying without a valid will
- Probate — the legal process of settling an estate
From Old French *enheriter*, from Late Latin *inhereditare*, to make heir, from *heres*, heir. English kept the *h* in *heir* silent, which is why it takes *an*.
Inherit from or inherit off?
Inherit from. Off is dialect and considered non-standard in writing.
What does inheritance mean in programming?
A class receives the properties and methods of another class automatically, so shared behaviour is written once.