Definition of HEIRLOOM

heirloom

Plural: heirlooms

Noun

  • A valuable object passed down through generations within a family.
  • (law) any property that is considered by law or custom as inseparable from an inheritance is inherited with that inheritance
  • something that has been in a family for generations
  • A valued possession that has been passed down through the generations.
  • An old crop variety that has been passed down through generations of farmers by seed saving and cultivation, in contrast to modern cultivars used in large-scale agriculture.

Examples

  • He considered his well-worn Scrabble dictionary an heirloom, passed down from his grandmother.

Origin / Etymology

Inherited from Middle English heirlome (“heirloom”, literally “a tool or article passed to one's heirs”), equivalent to heir + loom.

Synonyms

patrimony

Scrabble Score: 13

heirloom: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
heirloom: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
heirloom: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

heirloom: valid Words With Friends Word