# heir presumptive

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Someone who will become an heir (usually to a monarchy) only if no-one with a higher-ranking claim is born.

## Etymology
A calque of French héritier présomptif, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/heir-presumptive