HEIRLOOM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does heirloom mean? 

• HEIRLOOM (noun)
  The noun HEIRLOOM has 2 senses:

1. (law) any property that is considered by law or custom as inseparable from an inheritance is inherited with that inheritance

2. something that has been in a family for generations

  Familiarity information: HEIRLOOM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HEIRLOOM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(law) any property that is considered by law or custom as inseparable from an inheritance is inherited with that inheritance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Hypernyms ("heirloom" is a kind of...):

belongings; holding; property (something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Holonyms ("heirloom" is a part of...):

heritage; inheritance (that which is inherited; a title or property or estate that passes by law to the heir on the death of the owner)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something that has been in a family for generations

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Hypernyms ("heirloom" is a kind of...):

heritage; inheritance (that which is inherited; a title or property or estate that passes by law to the heir on the death of the owner)

 Context examples 

This morning I wrote to my banker in London to send me certain jewels he has in his keeping,—heirlooms for the ladies of Thornfield.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The rare version of TomLoxC was found in only 2 percent of older or heirloom cultivated large tomato varieties, although the version was present in 91 percent of currant-sized wild tomatoes, primarily Solanum pimpinellifolium, the wild predecessor of the cultivated tomato.

(Tomato Pan-Genome Makes Bringing Flavor Back Easier, Agricultural Research Service)

If you work in an industry that deals with historical artifacts, landmark buildings, estates, or antiques and heirlooms, you will also have a good chance of meeting someone on or near the weekend of November 24.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)