heir presumptive
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈɛr prɪˈzʌmptɪv/
- Formal
:
heredero presunto
- After his cousin had a child, he lost his position as heir presumptive to the family title.
Examples
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Lady Arabella Galloway, heir presumptive to the House of Stuart, one of the wealthiest women in the world.
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As the heir presumptive, she prepared herself for the responsibilities of inheriting the estate.
-
The king's brother was recognized as the heir presumptive until a legitimate heir was born.
Antonyms
- Formal
14
5.9
A person first in line to inherit a title or throne whose right cannot be changed by later births
How Certain
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'heir' (someone entitled to inherit) and 'presumptive' (likely) can infer the general idea of a 'likely' or 'expected' heir, so basic meaning is accessible from the parts. However, the technical nuance—that this claim can be displaced by the birth of a more eligible heir (contrast with heir apparent)—is a specialized, legal/monarchical distinction not fully predictable from the constituents, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Heir presumptive comes from the words heir, someone who will 'inherit' a title or property, and presumptive, from 'presume', meaning 'expected for now but not certain'. So an heir presumptive is a person who is currently expected to inherit, but who can lose that place if a more eligible heir is born.