Heiress Meaning
/ɛəˈɹɛs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA woman who has a right of inheritance or who stands to inherit.
nounA woman who has received an inheritance.
Sentence Examples
She's the heiress to a great fortune.
Mary is the heiress to a large fortune.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The young ____ inherited a large estate from her grandfather.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wealthy ____ donated a large portion of her fortune to several local charities last year.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English heir Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa)bor. Late Latin -issader. Old French -essebor. Middle English -esse English -ess English heiress From heir + -ess.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""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:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The young ____ inherited a large estate from her grandfather.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The wealthy ____ donated a large portion of her fortune to several local charities last year.