inherit

Verb

inherit (third-person singular simple present inherits, present participle inheriting, simple past and past participle inherited)

1. (transitive) To receive (property, a title, etc.), by legal succession or bequest, usually after the previous owner's death.
   • After Grandad died, I inherited the house.
   • ‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   Antonyms:

   bequeath, leave

   1. (intransitive, transitive) To come into an inheritance.
      • Lucky old Daniel – his grandfather died rich, and he's inherited.
2. (transitive) To take possession of as a right (especially in Biblical translations).
   • Your descendants will inherit the earth.
3. (transitive) To receive a characteristic from one's ancestors by genetic transmission.
   • Let's hope the baby inherits his mother's looks and his father's intelligence.
   • The couple had two daughters, Donna and Cathy. Donna was born without ectrodactyly, while Cathy inherited the condition, becoming the fifth generation of the Stiles family to be born with it.2026 August 16, Sthitapragya Chakraborty, “Grady Stiles Jr., the “Lobster Boy,” Killed His Daughter’s Fiancé in 1978. Years Later, His Own Family Had Him Murdered”, in Skip Boring, archived from the...
4. (transitive) To derive from people or conditions previously in force.
   • This country has inherited an invidious class culture.
5. (transitive) To derive (existing functionality) from a superclass.
   • ModalWindow inherits all the properties and methods of Window.
6. (transitive) To derive a new class from (a superclass).
   • For example, the following two code segments, from different assemblies, show how easy it is to inherit a class from another assembly.2006, Daniel Solis, Illustrated C# 2005
7. (obsolete, transitive) To put in possession of.
   • This, or else nothing, will inherit herc. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...