heirloom

WOTD – 12 July 2009    

English

Etymology

From Middle English heirlome (“heirloom”, literally “a tool or article passed to one's heirs”), equivalent to heir +‎ loom.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈɛə.luːm/
• (US) IPA: /ˈɛɹ.lum/

Noun

heirloom (plural heirlooms)

1. A valued possession that has been passed down through the generations.
2. A crop variety that has been passed down through generations of farmers by seed saving and cultivation.

Synonyms

(valued possession passed down through the generations): patrimony

Translations

valued possession passed down through the generations

• Danish: arvestykke (da) n
• Dutch: erfstuk (nl) n
• Finnish: perintökalleus (fi) n
• French: patrimoine (fr) m
• German: Erbstück (de) n

• Greek: κειμήλιο (el) (kimílio) n 
• Korean: 가보 (ko) (gabo)
• Norwegian: arvestykke (no) n
• Polish: dziedzictwo (pl)
• Russian: семейная реликвия (seméjnaja relíkvija) f
• Swedish: släktklenod

crop variety that has been passed down through generations

• Finnish: perinnelajike (fi) n

See also

• Heirloom on Wikipedia.Wikipedia