inherit

verb

(transitive) To receive (property, a title, etc.), by legal succession or bequest after the previous owner's death.

(intransitive) To come into an inheritance.

(transitive, biology) To receive a characteristic from one's ancestors by genetic transmission.

(transitive) To derive from people or conditions previously in force.

(transitive) To take possession of as a right (especially in Biblical translations).

(computing, programming, transitive) To derive (existing functionality) from a superclass.

(computing, programming, transitive) To derive a new class from (a superclass).

(transitive, obsolete) To put in possession of.

Roots

heres-herit · Latin · heir

Synonyms & related words for inherit

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of inherit. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to inherit

Explore words related to inherit — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include hereditable, heirdom, inheritance, inheritable, inheritor, heirship, inheritability, hereditarily. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does inherit come from?

The word inherit breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root -herit, from Latin heres (“heir”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.