heir presumptive

heir presumptive noun: someone who will become an heir (usually to a monarchy) only if no-one with a higher-ranking claim is born.

Noun

heir presumptive (plural heirs presumptive)

Someone who will become an heir (usually to a monarchy) only if no-one with a higher-ranking claim is born.
- I am quite aware that your premature decease would leave me heir-presumptive to the title-
  ”Heir-presumptive? . . . Oh, I see. My mother might peg out and my father marry again. Calculating brute.”1935, Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night

இற்றை நிலை மரபுரிமையர், இற்றைநிலை மரபுரிமையர்

ಸಂಭಾವ್ಯ ಉತ್ತರಾಧಿಕಾರಿ

one who inherits if no one with a higher-ranking claim is born: ahli waris sementara

plural	heirs presumptive

A calque of French héritier présomptif, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun.

What does heir presumptive mean?: Heir presumptive means someone who will become an heir (usually to a monarchy) only if no-one with a higher-ranking claim is born.
What is heir presumptive in Tamil?: Heir presumptive in Tamil is இற்றை நிலை மரபுரிமையர், இற்றைநிலை மரபுரிமையர். See Heir presumptive meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is heir presumptive?: Heir presumptive is a noun.
What is the plural of heir presumptive?: The plural of heir presumptive is heirs presumptive.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “heir presumptive.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/heir_presumptive. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.