In Roman law, plural of 'heres': heirs or persons legally entitled to inherit property.
From Latin 'heredes,' the plural of 'heres' meaning 'heir,' which comes from Proto-Indo-European 'ser-' meaning 'to take or own.' The word entered English legal terminology through Roman law.
Roman inheritance law was so influential that many English legal terms about heirs and succession came directly from Latin—'heredes' shows up in old English legal documents when people were discussing Roman-style property transfers.
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