Basic Details
Word: Disinherited
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Officially stopped someone, usually a son or daughter, from receiving one's money or property after one's death.
Synonyms: cut off, excluded
How to Spell Disinherited
Syllables: dis - in - her - it - ed
Tricky part: Inherit has one r and one t, and neither doubles when ed is added, because the stress falls on her, not it.
Watch out for: disinheritted, disinhereted, disenherited
Memory tip: Find her inside: dis-in-HER-it-ed. She would have got the money, but her father disinherited her.
Usage Examples
Example 1: In the story, the rich merchant disinherited his lazy son.
Example 2: She was afraid her grandfather would disinherit her for marrying against his wishes.
Example 3: The disinherited prince left the kingdom with nothing but his horse.
Fun Fact
Inherit comes from Latin heres, heir, the same root that gives heritage and heredity.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words can be given the prefix dis:
dis
a) behave
b) inherit
c) understand
d) judge
Show answer
b) inherit. Behave, understand and judge take mis instead: misbehave, misunderstand, misjudge.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
disinheritted
a) r
b) n
c) h
d) t
Show answer
d) t. The stress in inherit is on her, so the t at the end is not doubled.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
In the novel, the angry lord tisiedrnhied his son and left the estate to a cousin.
a) disinherited
b) disoriented
c) disheartened
d) disinterested
Show answer
a) disinherited. The jumble has an h and three i's; disheartened has only one i, and disinterested and disoriented have no h.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A son who has been disinherited will ____.
a) get a larger share of money
b) not receive the family property
c) become the next head of house
d) move into the family home
Show answer
b) not receive the family property
2. A father who wants to disinherit a child usually says so in his ____.
a) passport
b) cheque book
c) diary
d) will
Show answer
d) will
