Inheritance: meaning, definitions and examples
๐ฐ
inheritance
[ ษชnหhษrษชtษns ]
family
The passing on of property, titles, debts, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. Inheritance can also refer to genetic traits passed down from parents to offspring.
Synonyms
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
| Word | Description / Examples |
|---|---|
| inheritance |
When someone discusses the assets, property, or money received from a relative after they pass away. This is a general term.
|
| legacy |
This can refer to money or property left to someone, but also to intangible things like values, reputation, or traditions passed down through generations.
|
| bequest |
Often used in legal contexts to refer to personal property or money left to someone in a will. It is more formal.
|
| patrimony |
Primarily refers to heritage or property inherited from one's ancestors, often implying a cultural or ancestral significance.
|
Examples of usage
- Her inheritance included a large estate and a valuable art collection.
- He inherited his mother's blue eyes, a physical trait that runs in the family.
- The inheritance laws vary from country to country.
- Receiving an inheritance can sometimes lead to family disputes.
- In some cultures, inheritance is based on primogeniture, where the eldest son inherits everything.
programming
In object-oriented programming, inheritance is a mechanism by which a new class inherits attributes and methods from an existing class. This promotes code reusability and allows for the creation of hierarchical relationships between classes.
Synonyms
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
| Word | Description / Examples |
|---|---|
| inheritance |
Use this in the context of receiving property or money from a deceased person or discussing the passing of genetic traits from parents to offspring. It is also widely used in object-oriented programming to describe a class that derives properties and behaviors from another class.
|
| subclassing |
Specifically used in the realm of object-oriented programming, subclassing involves creating a new class that inherits properties and methods from an existing class but can also have its own additional properties and methods.
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| extension |
This is best used when talking about adding something to an existing structure or concept, making something longer or extending functionality in software development.
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Examples of usage
- The child class inherits the properties and methods of the parent class.
- Using inheritance, developers can create specialized classes that build upon existing functionality.
- Inheritance helps reduce code duplication and improves the maintainability of software.
- Understanding inheritance is key to mastering object-oriented programming.
- Inheritance is a fundamental concept in many programming languages such as Java and Python.
Translations
Translations of the word "inheritance" in other languages:
๐ต๐น heranรงa
๐ฎ๐ณ เคตเคฟเคฐเคพเคธเคค
๐ฉ๐ช Erbschaft
๐ฎ๐ฉ warisan
๐บ๐ฆ ัะฟะฐะดัะธะฝะฐ
๐ต๐ฑ dziedzictwo
๐ฏ๐ต ็ธ็ถ
๐ซ๐ท hรฉritage
๐ช๐ธ herencia
๐น๐ท miras
๐ฐ๐ท ์์
๐ธ๐ฆ ุฅุฑุซ
๐จ๐ฟ dฤdictvรญ
๐ธ๐ฐ dediฤstvo
๐จ๐ณ ็ปงๆฟ
๐ธ๐ฎ dedovanje
๐ฎ๐ธ arfi
๐ฐ๐ฟ ะผาฑัะฐะณะตัะปัะบ
๐ฌ๐ช แแแแแแแแ แแแแ
๐ฆ๐ฟ irs
๐ฒ๐ฝ herencia
Etymology
The word 'inheritance' originated from the Latin word 'inheritantia', meaning 'a possession, legacy'. The concept of inheritance has long been a fundamental part of human societies, with traditions of passing down wealth, property, and titles dating back centuries. Inheritance laws have evolved over time to regulate the distribution of assets after an individual's death, ensuring fairness and legality in the transfer of property. In the context of programming, the term 'inheritance' was adopted to describe the ability of a new class to inherit characteristics from an existing class, reflecting the hierarchical nature of object-oriented programming.
See also: disinherit, inherit, inherited, inheritor, inheritrix.