Heiress

How to spell heiress

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce heiress

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does heiress mean?

1. nounA woman who inherits, or is entitled to inherit, property or wealth, especially a large fortune.

Heiress in a sentence

• The young heiress stood to inherit the family estate and its vineyards.

• As the only child, she became the sole heiress to her grandfather's fortune.

Where does heiress come from?

Language of origin: French

This word builds on 'heir', which English took from Old French 'heir' or 'eir' in the medieval period, itself descended from the Latin 'heres', meaning 'one who inherits property'. The 'h' that we now write was silent in the French form and remains silent in English speech, which is the main reason the spelling catches people out. To make a specifically female version, English added the suffix '-ess', a feminine ending that also came in through French from the Latin '-issa' and Greek '-issa', the same ending seen in 'actress' and 'duchess'. The combined form 'heiress' appears in English from around the 1600s, naming a woman entitled to inherit, especially one due to receive a large fortune. The tricky part to remember is that the silent 'h' and the 'ei' both sit at the front, followed by a doubled 's' that comes entirely from the feminine suffix.

How the word is built

• heir (from Latin heres: one who inherits)
• -ess (feminine suffix)