Meaning & use
primogenture
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Meanings
noununcountableformallegal
A system in which a family's land, title or property passes to the eldest child, usually the eldest son.
Grammar: Not counted, so no plural: the rule of primogenture.
Patterns
- succession by primogenture
- the law of primogenture
Under primogenture, the family estate went to the eldest son alone.
Many royal houses once followed strict primogenture when choosing a king.
Younger brothers often joined the army because primogenture left them without land.
noununcountablerareformal
The condition of being the first-born child of a family.
Grammar: Rare in this sense; most writers use primogeniture or the state of being first-born.
Patterns
- by right of primogenture
He claimed the crown by primogenture, being the eldest of the three brothers.
Her primogenture gave her authority that her younger sisters did not share.
Common combinations
- male-preference primogenture
- The country abolished male-preference primogenture in its royal succession.
- succession by primogenture
- Succession by primogenture kept the lands together.
- law of primogenture
- The law of primogenture shaped many family fortunes.
- abolish primogenture
- Reformers wanted to abolish primogenture and divide estates equally.
- rule of primogenture
- The rule of primogenture favoured the firstborn.
Synonyms and how they differ
- primogeniture
- Primogeniture is the usual spelling and has the same meaning, so it is the safer form in formal writing.
- seniority
- Seniority is about rank or years of service, not inheritance by birth order.
- birthright
- Birthright is any right you have from birth, while primogenture is the specific rule favouring the eldest.
Opposites
Word family
- primogeniture noun
- the standard spelling of the same word
- primogenitor noun
- the earliest ancestor of a family
- firstborn noun
- the eldest child
- ultimogeniture noun
- inheritance by the youngest child
Commonly confused: primogenture or progenitor?
primogenture vs progenitor
A progenitor is an ancestor or originator, whereas primogenture is a rule about which child inherits.
Practice
Under primogenture, who normally inherits the family estate?
Choose one answer.
Primogenture favours the first-born. The youngest-child system is a different rule, ultimogeniture.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “primogenture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.