handing down

Verb

hand down (third-person singular simple present hands down, present participle handing down, simple past and past participle handed down)

1. To transmit in succession, as from father to son, or from predecessor to successor.
   • Fables are handed down from age to age.
2. To deliver (the decision of a court, etc.)
   • The jury handed down a verdict of guilty.
3. To forward to the proper officer (the decision of a higher court).
   • The Clerk of the Court of Appeals handed down its decision.
4. (idiomatic) To donate (as second hand.)
   • When my older brother grows out of his clothes, he hands them down to me.