Dictionary

heiress en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɛəˈɹɛs/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree English heir Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂der. Ancient Greek -ῐᾰ (-ĭă) Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa)bor. Late Latin -issader. Old French -essebor. Middle English -esse English -ess English heiress From heir + -ess.

Meanings

1. A woman who has a right of inheritance or who stands to inherit.
   • "Do you know, Julia, that Charles has taken some wild-goose fancy into his head about marrying?" "Why, what heiress have you picked up?" asked his sister. "I am sure that I am very glad of it, though I cannot form a guess who it is. I never knew a season so unprofitable in that respect as the present." 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter IX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 120:
2. A woman who has received an inheritance.

Forms

Deriveds

heiress apparent · coheiress · heiress presumptive · heiresshood · millionheiress · heiressdom

Translations (42)

la hēres (a woman who stands to inherit) · et pärijanna (a woman who stands to inherit) · ar وَارِثَة (a woman who stands to inherit) · ja 世継ぎ (a woman who stands to inherit) · uk наслі́дниця (a woman who stands to inherit) · pl sukcesorka (a woman who stands to inherit) · fi perijätär (a woman who stands to inherit) · uk спадкоє́миця (a woman who stands to inherit) · got 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌾𐍉 (a woman who stands to inherit) · gd ban-oighre (a woman who stands to inherit) · pl spadkobierczyni (a woman who stands to inherit) · ru насле́дница (a woman who stands to inherit) · it ereditiera (a woman who stands to inherit) · ro moștenitoare (a woman who stands to inherit) · be насле́дніца (a woman who stands to inherit) · mk наследничка (a woman who stands to inherit) · et pärija (a woman who stands to inherit) · sk dedička (a woman who stands to inherit) · ka მემკვიდრე (a woman who stands to inherit) · bg насле́дничка (a woman who stands to inherit) · sv arvinge (a woman who stands to inherit) · sh násljednica (a woman who stands to inherit) · pt herdeira (a woman who stands to inherit) · fr successeuse (a woman who stands to inherit) · lv mantiniece (a woman who stands to inherit) · cy aeres (a woman who stands to inherit) · sh на́следница (a woman who stands to inherit) · ru прее́мница (a woman who stands to inherit) · fr successrice (a woman who stands to inherit) · lt paveldėtoja (a woman who stands to inherit) · sh následnica (a woman who stands to inherit) · fr héritière (a woman who stands to inherit) · ga banoidhre (a woman who stands to inherit) · cs dědička (a woman who stands to inherit) · sv arvtagerska (a woman who stands to inherit) · sh на́сљедница (a woman who stands to inherit) · sl dedinja (a woman who stands to inherit) · de Erbin (a woman who stands to inherit) · es heredera (a woman who stands to inherit) · sl naslednica (a woman who stands to inherit) · pl dziedzicka (a woman who stands to inherit) · da arving (a woman who stands to inherit)