Valuable objects or property that are passed down through a family from generation to generation.
From Middle English 'heir' (inheritor) and 'loom' (an old form of 'loan' or 'thing'), literally meaning 'things that an heir inherits.' The term became especially common in the 1700s-1800s.
An heirloom isn't automatically old or valuable—it becomes an heirloom because of the stories and memories attached to it, so your grandmother's wedding ring and your great-grandfather's Swiss army knife have the same 'heirloom status' once they're passed down with love and stories!
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