heir
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heir
A person who is legally entitled to receive another person's assets, property, or title after that person's death.
Als einziger Sohn ist er der rechtmäßige Erbe des Familienunternehmens.
As the only son, he is the rightful heir to the family business.
heir
A person who carries on the work, ideas, or tradition of a predecessor; a successor in an intellectual or cultural sense.
Viele sehen in dem jungen Dirigenten den musikalischen Erben von Leonard Bernstein.
Many see the young conductor as the musical heir of Leonard Bernstein.
'Der Erbe' is the person who 'erbt' (inherits) something. The thing that is inherited is 'das Erbe' (inheritance/heritage). These three words form a word family.
Er wird das Haus seiner Großeltern erben.
He will inherit his grandparents' house.
'Der Erbe' is a noun of the N-declension. This means it takes the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular (den Erben, dem Erben, des Erben).
Das Testament nennt seinen Neffen als einzigen Erben.
The will names his nephew as the sole heir.
You can recognize the meaning from context. In legal or family contexts (with words like 'Testament' (will), 'Vermögen' (assets)), the legal heir is meant. In a cultural context (with words like 'musikalisch' (musical), 'geistig' (intellectual/spiritual)), an ideal or intellectual successor is meant.
Die Anwältin informierte die rechtmäßigen Erben.
The lawyer informed the rightful heirs.
In the legal sense, 'Erbe' (heir) is often combined with adjectives like 'rechtmäßig' (rightful), 'alleinig' (sole), or 'potenziell' (potential). A common verb phrase is 'jemanden als Erben einsetzen' (to appoint someone as heir).
Er wurde im Testament als alleiniger Erbe eingesetzt.
He was appointed sole heir in the will.
successor
A Nachfolger takes over a position or function and can be appointed or selected for it. An Erbe (heir), by contrast, legally receives another person’s assets, property, or title after that person’s death. The same person can be both, but the words emphasize different reasons for the transfer.
Nach ihrem Tod wird ihr Sohn der Erbe ihres Vermögens.
After her death, her son will inherit her estate.
Nach ihrem Rücktritt wird ihr Sohn ihr Nachfolger als Geschäftsführer.
After she resigns, her son will be her successor as managing director.
