Etymology

heir apparent

Today it means: Someone who will definitely inherit if surviving the one whose property is to be inherited. Full definition →

Middle English heier apparaunt ← Middle French héritier apparent
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The story

  1. Middle French · derived fromhéritier apparent
  2. Middle English · inherited fromheier apparaunt
  3. English todayheir apparent

From Middle English heier apparaunt, a calque translation of Middle French héritier apparent, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.