- Inherit
To inherit something is to get it from one's
ancestor s through legal succession (e.g., "inherit the throne"), or through abequest (e.g., "inherited money from his deceased aunt"), or from genetic transmission (e.g., "inherited color-blindness from his father"). As a related definition, it can mean to take power or possession due to a perceived right or dominating ability to do so (e.g., "Their children's children will inherit the earth"; or, "Thenobility of the invadingtribe will inherit the ruling-caste positions of Xopanthia").As a further related definition, it can also mean — in a more general sense — to derive a characteristic from people, groups or objects which were influential at some time in the past, even if such people/groups/objects are not "ancestral" to those who receive the characteristic (as in, for example, "The
Western Europe ans, during theMiddle Ages , inherited the learning of theArab s by translating many of their important writings").Other specific meanings and related articles:
* In the sense of
biology orgenetics , seeHeredity ;
* In the sense ofcomputer science , seeInheritance (computer science) ;
* In the sense oflaw orsociety , seeInheritance .
* In music, see "Inherit" (Free Kitten album).
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