primogeniture
/ˌprʌɪmə(ʊ)ˈdʒɛnɪtʃə
/noun [mass noun]
1The state of being the firstborn child.Maui and Tahaki are famous mythological heroes in Polynesia and they have more powerful manas than their elder brothers, though they are not the primogenitures....
- After the sin the primogenitures lost their privilege of serving in the Holy Temple and it was given to the Levites, who had abstained from the sin.
1.1 (also right of primogeniture) The right of succession belonging to the firstborn child, especially the feudal rule by which the whole real estate of an intestate passed to the eldest son.Inheritance customs stress the right of primogeniture, which gives preference to the oldest brother....
- The rule of male primogeniture, by which the eldest son of a monarch becomes king even if he has an elder sister, will end if a bill published today is passed.
- But to avoid fiefs being subdivided and becoming non-viable, the rule of primogeniture prevailed, whereby the eldest son inherited the entire estate.
Derivatives
primogenital
- The primogenital succession initiated by him and ensconced in the Constitution, was designed to prevent the kinds of competition and rivalry that had led to much violence in the past.
- The primogenital male bears the title Duke of Campagna.
primogenitary
- Henry named his own children in the order which appeared to follow most closely the rule of primogenitary succession: in that order they succeeded.
- The pre-Conquest English did not practice primogenitary inheritance, that is the eldest son being the prime inheritor.
Origin
Early 17th century: from medieval Latin primogenitura, from Latin primo 'first' + genitura 'geniture'.