A valued possession passed down in a family through succeeding generations.
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(botany) A cultivar of a vegetable or fruit that is open-pollinated and is not grown widely for commercial purposes. An heirloom often exhibits a distinctive characteristic such as superior flavor or unusual coloration.
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The definition of an heirloom is something with monetary or sentimental value that has belonged to a family for several generations.
Your grandmother's wedding ring which is handed down to your mother and then you is an example of an heirloom.
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(law) An article of personal property that passes by custom along with the estate to an heir, instead of being subject to the executor of the estate.
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A piece of personal property that goes to an heir along with an estate.
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Any treasured possession handed down from generation to generation.
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Designating or of a type of cultivated vegetable, fruit, flower, etc. that is an older, traditional variety rather than a modern hybrid.
A cropvariety that has been passed down through generations of farmers by seed saving and cultivation.
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Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
heirloom
Plural:
heirlooms
Origin of heirloom
Middle English heirlomeheirheirheirlomeimplementloom2
From
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Middle English heirlome (“heirloom”, literally “a tool or article passed to one's heirs”), equivalent to heir + loom.
From
Wiktionary
Heirloom Sentence Examples
She gasped, recognizing it as the one he wore often, the heirloom passed down through his ancestors.
It's an heirloom of sorts; a big old house - too much for me to take care of and work the ranch as well.
Your cherished heirloom collection might be best put away until your kids get older – not only could your little ones make sacrifices of your pieces, accessories can translate into choking hazards.
One generation's "old furniture" can be the next generation's heirloom.
My daughter, the family gardener, only plants heirloom produce from non-hybrid seeds.