Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To exclude from inheritance or the right to inherit.
  • transitive verb To deprive of a natural or established right or privilege.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To deprive of an inheritance or of the right to inherit; prevent, as an heir, from coming into possession of property or right which by law or custom would devolve on him in the course of descent, as by an adverse will or other act of alienation, or by right of conquest.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To cut off from an inheritance or from hereditary succession; to prevent, as an heir, from coming into possession of any property or right, which, by law or custom, would devolve on him in the course of descent.
  • transitive verb To deprive of heritage; to dispossess.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To exclude from inheritance; to disown.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb prevent deliberately (as by making a will) from inheriting

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English

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