coparcener
Definition
Noun: In law, a "coparcener" is a person who shares equally in the inheritance of an estate with one or more other heirs, typically when the deceased died without a will (intestate) and the property descends to multiple heirs as a group.
Usage Examples
- (They each inherited an equal share of the farm.)
- (The co-heirs decided to partition the inherited property.)
- (A co-heir's rights were limited by the agreement of all co-heirs.)
Advanced Usage
"Coparcenary" (noun): The state or condition of being a coparcener; the joint inheritance system.
- The coparcenary was dissolved when one heir bought out the others. (The joint ownership arrangement ended.)
"To hold as coparceners": To possess property jointly with equal rights of inheritance.
- The sisters held the manor as coparceners after their uncle's death. (They owned the manor equally as co-heirs.)
Variants and Related Words
- Coparcenary (adj): relating to or characteristic of coparceners.
- The coparcenary arrangement required unanimous consent for any major decision. (The joint inheritance system demanded agreement from all.)
- Parcener (n): another term for a coparcener, less common.
- Each parcener had a legal claim to the ancestral estate. (Each co-heir had a legal right.)
Synonyms
- Co-heir: a person who inherits jointly with others.
- Joint heir: an heir who shares an inheritance with one or more others.
Related Idioms
- "To inherit as coparceners": to receive property as equal co-heirs.
- The cousins inherited the estate as coparceners, each with an undivided share. (They received the property equally and jointly.)