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primogenitary

 - 5 dictionary results

pri⋅mo⋅gen⋅i⋅ture

  [prahy-muh-jen-i-cher, -choor]
Use primogenitary in a Sentence
–noun
1. the state or fact of being the firstborn of children of the same parents.
2. Law. the system of inheritance or succession by the firstborn, specifically the eldest son.

Origin:
1585–95; < ML prīmōgenitūra a first birth, equiv. to L prīmō at first + genitūra, equiv. to genit(us) (ptp. of gignere to beget; see kin ) + -ūra -ure

Related forms:
pri⋅mo⋅gen⋅i⋅tar⋅y, pri⋅mo⋅gen⋅i⋅tal, adjective
pri⋅mo⋅gen⋅i⋅ture⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To primogenitary
pri·mo·gen·i·ture   (prī'mō-jěn'ĭ-chŏŏr')   
n.  

  1. The state of being the first born or eldest child of the same parents.

  2. Law The right of the eldest child, especially the eldest son, to inherit the entire estate of one or both parents.


[Late Latin prīmōgenitūra : Latin prīmō, at first (from prīmus, first; see per1 in Indo-European roots) + Latin genitūra, birth (from genitus, past participle of gignere, to beget; see genə- in Indo-European roots).]
pri'mo·gen'i·tar'y (-jěn'ĭ-těr'ē), pri'mo·gen'i·tal (-təl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

primogeniture [(preye-moh-jen-uh-choor, preye-moh-jen-uh-chuhr)]

A system of inheritance in which land passes exclusively to the eldest son. Until the Industrial Revolution, this system severely restricted the freedom of younger sons, who were often forced into the military or the clergy to earn a living.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

primogeniture 
1602, "right of succession of the first-born," from M.L. primogenitura, from L.L. primogenitus "first-born," from L. primus "first" (see prime (adj.)) + genitus, pp. of gignere "to beget" (see genus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pri·mo·gen·i·ture
Pronunciation: "prI-mO-'je-n&-"chur
Function: noun
1 : the state of being the firstborn of the children of the same parents
2 : exclusive right of inheritance; specifically : a right to take all the real property of an estate belonging under English law to the eldest son or eldest male in the next degree of consanguinity if there is no son of an ancestor to the exclusion of all female and younger male descendants
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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