Heirloom

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɛə.luːm/

Definitions

1. A valuable object that has belonged to a family for many generations and is passed down from one member to another
2. A precious item of sentimental and monetary value handed down through family generations as a cherished inheritance
3. An object of cultural or personal significance that has been preserved and transferred among family members across multiple generations

Etymology: The word is built from two plain English parts. "Heir" comes from Old French "heir" (ultimately from Latin "heres"), and "loom" is an Old English word, "geloma", meaning a tool or implement. Put together, a Middle English "heirlome" was literally a tool or article that passed down to one's heirs. The "loom" here has nothing to do with weaving: the weaving frame came to be called a loom later, while the older sense of the word was simply any piece of equipment. The surprising twist is that the word's first meaning was practical rather than sentimental. A plough, a kitchen pot or a set of tools could all be heirlomes, and their value lay in being useful goods handed from one generation to the next. The sense of a prized family possession came later, as the objects that were handed down began to matter more for their associations than for their use. Before this word took hold in English, the native Old English term "fæderġestrēon" (roughly "father-treasure") covered the same idea. The borrowed-looking "heirloom" eventually replaced it.

Synonyms: legacy, inheritance, keepsake