Heirs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who hold the legal right to receive an estate or title after someone's death
2. Persons acknowledged to be the rightful beneficiaries of property or privileges after the demise of another
3. People recognized as legally entitled to receive someone's property or titles following their death

Etymology: The silent "h" in "heir" is a spelling habit, not a sound. The word comes through Old French "eir" from Latin "heres," and French had already dropped the "h" from its pronunciation. English kept the Latin spelling, so the letter survives even though nobody says it. "Heirs" is the plural of "heir," so it names more than one person who inherits. The Latin "heres" is also the source of "heredity" and "hereditary," which come from the related Latin "hereditas," meaning inheritance.

Synonyms: beneficiaries, successors, inheritors, descendants, legacy holders

Antonyms: predecessors, ancestors, forfeitors, disclaimers, renouncers