Coheir

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who shares the rights of inheritance with others regarding a deceased's estate
2. An individual entitled to a portion of property alongside fellow heirs after someone's passing
3. Someone who jointly inherits property or rights with others after a death

Etymology: "Coheir" is about as transparent as English compounds get: the prefix "co-" meaning "together, jointly" attached to "heir". The prefix traces back through Latin "con-" and "co-", which carried the sense of "with" or "together", to an ancient Indo-European root meaning "with" that also gave English words like "com-" and "con-" in countless forms. "Heir" itself came into English from Old French "heir", ultimately from Latin "heres", a person who takes possession of an inheritance. Put together, a coheir is one of several people who inherit the same estate jointly, sharing the property rather than receiving it alone. The formation follows the same pattern as "cooperate" or "coexist", where "co-" simply means that the action or status is shared with others.

Synonyms: joint heir, co-successor, co-beneficiary