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Inheritance vs Portion - What's the difference?

inheritance | portion |

As nouns the difference between inheritance and portion

is that inheritance is the passing of title to an estate upon death while portion is an allocated amount.

As a verb portion is

to divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.

inheritance

English

(wikipedia inheritance)

Alternative forms

* enheritance (obsolete) * enheritaunce (obsolete) * inheritaunce (obsolete)

Noun

  • The passing of title to an estate upon death.
  • (lb) That which a person is entitled to inherit, by law or testament.
  • (lb) The biological attributes passed hereditarily from ancestors to their offspring.
  • In object-oriented programming, the mechanism whereby parts of a superclass are available to instances of its subclass.

    • Related terms

    * inherit * inheritable * inheritor * preheritance

    References

    * (EtymOnLine)

    portion

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An allocated amount.
  • That which is divided off or separated, as a part from a whole; a separated part of anything.
  • One's fate; lot.
  • * Bible, Luke xii. 46
    • The lord of that servant will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
  • * Keble
    • Man's portion is to die and rise again.
  • The part of an estate given or falling to a child or heir; an inheritance.
  • * Bible, Luke xv. 12
    • Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
  • A wife's fortune; a dowry.
  • * 1613 , , V. iv. 31:
    • Commend me to her, and to piece her portion / Tender her this.

    Usage notes

    Relatively formal, compared to the more informal part or more concrete and casual piece. For example, “part of the money” (both informal) but “portion of the proceeds” (both formal).

    Synonyms

    * part * piece

    Derived terms

    * portionless * proportion

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To divide into amounts, as for allocation to specific purposes.
  • To endow with a portion or inheritance.
    • Him portioned maids, apprenticed orphans, blest. — Alexander Pope.

    Usage notes

    * Particularly used as portion out. * Relatively formal, compared to the more informal divide, divide up, or the casual divvy, divvy up.

    Synonyms

    * divide, divide up * divvy, divvy up

    Derived terms

    * portion off * portion out

    External links

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