Heir, ār, n. one who inherits anything after the death of the owner: one entitled to anything after the present possessor: a child, offspring:—fem. Heiress (ār′es).—v.t. Heir, to inherit.—ns. Heir′-appā′rent, the one by law acknowledged to be heir; Heir′-at-law, an heir by legal right; Heir′dom, Heir′ship.—adj. Heir′less, without an heir.—ns. Heir′loom, any piece of furniture or personal property which descends to the heir-at-law by special custom; Heir′-presump′tive, one who will be heir if no nearer relative should be born.—Heir by custom, one whose right as heir is determined by customary modes of descent, as gavelkind, &c. [O. Fr. heir—L. hēres, an heir.]
Hejira. See Hegira.
Hel, hel, n. in Northern mythology, the goddess of the dead, the sister of the wolf Fenrir, and daughter of the evil-hearted Loki.
Helcoid, hel′koid, adj. ulcerous.—ns. Helcol′ogy, the branch of pathology concerned with ulcers; Hel′coplasty, the operation of grafting on an ulcer a piece of healthy skin; Helcō′sis, ulceration.—adj. Helcot′ic. [Gr. helkos, an ulcer.]
Held, pa.t. and pa.p. of hold.
Hele, hēl, v.t. (Spens.) to hide, conceal. [A.S. helian, helan, to hide; Ger. hehlen.]
Heliac, hē′li-ak, Heliacal, he-lī′ak-al, adj. (astron.) emerging from the light of the sun or passing into it.—adv. Helī′acally. [Gr. hēliakos—hēlios, the sun.]
Helianthus, hē-li-an′thus, n. a genus of order Compositae, including the common sunflower. [Gr. hēlios, the sun, anthos, a flower.]
Helical, Helicidæ, Helicograph, Helicoid. See Helix.
Heliconian, hel-i-kō′ni-an, adj. pertaining to Helicon, a mountain-range in Bœotia, in ancient Greece, the favourite seat of the Muses.