heiress

[ air-is ]

noun

1. a woman who inherits or has a right of inheritance, especially a woman who has inherited or will inherit considerable wealth.

heiress

/ ˈɛərɪs /

noun

1. a woman who inherits or expects to inherit great wealth
2. property law a female heir

Gender Note

See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of heiress¹

First recorded in 1650–60; heir + -ess

Example Sentences

He diligently befriended Cordelia Scaife May, an heiress to Andrew Mellon’s fortunes who funded forest preservation across Pennsylvania and believed in curtailing population growth, endearing himself to her with gauzy appeals.

From Salon

The heiress was released on bail and placed under house arrest, but was allowed to leave her home in the daytime and roam within a large swathe of Vancouver while under supervision.

From BBC

He later married Elizabeth Langley Rose, heiress to sugar plantations in Jamaica worked by enslaved people, profits from which contributed substantially to his ability to collect in the ensuing years.

From BBC

Santa Barbara’s Bellosguardo Estate include an art studio full of paintings by and of heiress Huguette Clark, who is seen in the work on the easel.

From Los Angeles Times

For anxious parents who worried that Vietnam-era counterculture might swallow their children, the heiress with the M1 seemed the nightmare embodiment of how far rebellion might go.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• holder
• landowner
• partner
• proprietor