To deprive someone of an inheritance or the right to inherit property or titles.
From Old French 'desheriter,' combining 'des-' (dis-) with 'heriter' (to inherit, from Latin 'hereditare'). The word entered English during the Norman period and became particularly common in legal documents describing the formal removal of inheritance rights from family members.
In Shakespeare's plays, 'disherit' appears as one of the most devastating actions a parent could take—it meant not just losing money, but losing your entire place in the family and society.
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