legal heir
Rightful estate recipient
A legal heir is a person entitled by law to inherit property or assets from someone who dies, particularly when there's no will.
The term emphasizes inheritance rights established by statute rather than by the deceased's wishes: She was the legal heir to her father's estate.
Legal heirs typically include spouses, children, and other close relatives in a defined order of priority.
Designated asset receiver
- probateWill validation proceedings
- executorAppointed estate manager
- bequestGift left by will
- testatorOne who makes bequests
will · trust · devisee · administration · codicil · settlor · deed · escheat
Positioned to succeed immediately
- primogenitureEldest inherits all
- birthrightEntitlement from origin
- succeedAchieve a desired aim
- accessionAttainment of high office
entitlement · rightful · claimant · designate · lineal · collateral · ascendant · descendant
Family line of descent
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- family treeChart of ancestors
- pedigreeRecord of descent
descendants · forebears · progenitors · kinship · progeny · dynasty · clan · heritage
beneficiary
Designated asset receiver
testator · will · trust · devisee · administration · codicil · settlor · deed · escheat · trusteeship
next in line
Positioned to succeed immediately
- primogenitureEldest inherits all
- birthrightEntitlement from origin
- succeedAchieve a desired aim
accession · entitlement · rightful · claimant · designate · lineal · collateral · ascendant · descendant · predeceased
ancestry
Family line of descent
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- family treeChart of ancestors
pedigree · descendants · forebears · progenitors · kinship · progeny · dynasty · clan · heritage · ancestors
- heirsheiress, heirs, inheritor, coheirs, beneficiary
- inheritanceinheritances, heirs, heiress, bequest, bequests
- kinship lawconsanguinity, affinity, blood relation, blood relations, next of kin
- estate taxesestate tax, death tax, death duty, death duties, transfer tax
- legal recipientsbeneficiary, grantee, inheritor, donee, assignee
- probateexecutor, probate court, probate, beneficiary, executors