heir presumptive

English

Etymology

A calque of French héritier présomptif, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun.

Noun

heir presumptive (plural heirs presumptive)

1. Someone who will become an heir (usually to a monarchy) only if no-one with a higher-ranking claim is born.

   Coordinate term: heiress presumptive

   • 1935, Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night:

     I am quite aware that your premature decease would leave me heir-presumptive to the title-
     ”Heir-presumptive? . . . Oh, I see. My mother might peg out and my father marry again. Calculating brute.”

Antonyms

• heir apparent

Translations

one who inherits if no one with a higher-ranking claim is born

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 假定繼承人 / 假定继承人 (jiǎdìng jìchéngrén)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: kruununperijä (fi)
• French: héritier présomptif (fr) m
• Greek: επίδοξος κληρονόμος m (epídoxos klironómos), πιθανός κληρονόμος m (pithanós klironómos)
• Irish: tánaiste m
• Italian: erede presuntivo m, erede presuntiva f
• Polish: domniemany następca m
• Spanish: heredero presunto m, heredera presunta f
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: etifedd tebygol m