- 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.
- a piece of personal property that goes to an heir along with an estate
- any treasured possession handed down from generation to generation
Origin of heirloomMiddle English heir lome: see heir and amp; loom
- A valued possession passed down in a family through succeeding generations.
- 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.
- 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.
Origin of heirloomMiddle English heirlome : heir, heir; see heir + lome, implement; see loom2.