Middle English Dictionary Entry
heritaunce n.
Entry Info
| Forms | heritaunce n. Also heretaunse, heridance, eritaunce. |
| Etymology | OF iretance, heritance. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The act of inheriting, inheritance; also, the right to inherit; (b) something inherited; (c) hereditary transmission of disease.
Associated quotations
a
- ?c1450 Trivet Constance (Harv Eng.938)227 : Grete nomber of cristen men..went wyth hem, and som in pilgremage, And som other for theyre heretaunse and seisine of the Cite of Ierusalem.
- a1500(?a1425) Lambeth SSecr.(Lamb 501)159/22 : Esaau..for a lytill Potage solde the ryght of his herytaunce.
- a1500(c1465) SEChron.(Lamb 306)22 : Kynge Edwarde made him redy..for to go in to Fraunce, for to chalange the crowne be right tytell and erytaunce by his moder Quene Isabell.
- 1532-1897(c1385) Usk TL (Thynne:Skeat)104/114 : Lawe of kynde is commen to every nation, as..succession of children in heritance.
b
- (a1500) Doc.in Sur.Soc.8563 : The Lorde of ye fee schall not haffe..ye warde of ye herytage of any Burgese of ye sayd Burgage, nor he schall never clame no thyng of ye herydance.
c
- ?a1500 MS Sln.1736 in EETS 102 (Sln 1736)235 n.2 : Also yt ys often tymes sene þat þis arthetica passio gose by erytaunce, as fro þe [fadyr] to the childur, and so forth to odyr.