Meaning & use
primogeniture
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Meanings
noununcountablelegal
A system of inheritance in which the eldest child, traditionally the eldest son, receives the whole estate or the title.
Grammar: No article for the system: the estate passed by primogeniture.
Patterns
- by primogeniture
- the rule of primogeniture
Under primogeniture, the family farm passed to the eldest son and his brothers received nothing.
Many European monarchies followed primogeniture for centuries.
Reformers argued that primogeniture was unfair to younger children.
noununcountablerareformal
The fact or state of being the first-born child in a family.
Grammar: Rare and formal; usually in historical writing.
Patterns
- claim by primogeniture
- right of primogeniture
He claimed the title by right of primogeniture.
His primogeniture gave him special status among the siblings.
Common combinations
- law of primogeniture
- The law of primogeniture kept great estates intact.
- male primogeniture
- Male primogeniture once ruled succession in many royal houses.
- absolute primogeniture
- Absolute primogeniture lets the eldest child inherit whatever their sex.
- right of primogeniture
- The right of primogeniture favored the eldest son.
- abolish primogeniture
- Parliament voted to abolish primogeniture in royal succession.
- succeed by primogeniture
- The throne passed by primogeniture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- birthright
- Birthright is the right a person is born with, so primogeniture is the system giving the eldest that right.
- seniority
- Seniority refers to rank by age or service in general, while primogeniture is specifically about inheriting as the first-born.
- entail
- Entail is a legal arrangement that fixes who may inherit property, and it is a tool that often enforced primogeniture.
Opposites
Word family
- primogenitor noun
- an earliest ancestor, or a first parent
- firstborn noun
- the eldest child
- ultimogeniture noun
- inheritance by the youngest child
- primogenital adjective
- relating to primogeniture (rare)
Commonly confused: primogeniture or primogenitor?
primogeniture vs primogenitor
A primogenitor is an ancestor or founder, while primogeniture is the system or right of first-born inheritance.
Practice
Under the rule of primogeniture, who would inherit the family estate?
Choose one answer.
Primogeniture gives the inheritance to the first-born. Youngest-child inheritance is ultimogeniture, and equal division is a different system.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “primogeniture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.