# heriot

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhɛɹɪət/ · frequency rank #59,445

## Definitions
1. The return of military equipment.
2. A payment made to a lord on the death of a tenant.
3. A tribute.

## Etymology
From Old English hereġeatwa (“military equipment, army gear”).
Per Etymonline: "An Anglo-Saxon service of weapons, loaned by the lord to his retainer and repayable to him upon the retainer's death; sense transferred by 13c. to a feudal due upon the death of a tenant, payable to his lord in beasts."

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