The position, status, or condition of being an heir; the right of succession or inheritance.
From Old English *ærfe* (inheritance) plus *-ship* (state or condition). This archaic or rare term combines heir-related concepts with the productive suffix indicating status.
The '-ship' suffix is incredibly versatile—it creates nouns from all sorts of bases (friendship, leadership, hardship)—but 'heirship' is far more common than 'heirskip,' showing how language standardizes preferred forms over time.
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