heirloom
das Erbstück, die Erbstücke
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heirloom
An object that someone inherited from a deceased family member or an earlier generation and that often has personal or material value.
Diese alte Uhr ist ein wertvolles Erbstück meiner Großmutter.
This old watch is a valuable heirloom from my grandmother.
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Erbstücke |
| genitive | des Erbstücks |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Erbstück | die Erbstücke |
| accusative | das Erbstück | die Erbstücke |
| dative | dem Erbstück | den Erbstücken |
| genitive | des Erbstücks des Erbstückes | der Erbstücke |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
“Erbstück” is made up of “Erb-” (inheritance-related) and “Stück” (piece). It therefore refers to an individual object that is passed down through a family by inheritance.
Beim Umzug ist leider ein altes Erbstück kaputtgegangen.
Unfortunately, an old heirloom was damaged during the move.
Common collocations include “ein wertvolles Erbstück” (a valuable heirloom), “ein altes Erbstück” (an old heirloom), and “ein persönliches Erbstück” (a personal heirloom). The phrase “ein Erbstück weitergeben” (to pass on an heirloom) is also frequently used.
Sie möchte das wertvolle Erbstück später ihrer Tochter weitergeben.
She wants to pass the valuable heirloom on to her daughter later.
When more information is added, “von” (from) is often used for the person whose possession the heirloom came from, while “aus” (from / out of) is used for the family or earlier period. Both prepositions take the dative here.
Das Gemälde ist ein Erbstück von meinem Großvater.
The painting is an heirloom from my grandfather.
Die silberne Schale ist ein Erbstück aus unserer Familie.
The silver bowl is an heirloom from our family.
