(law) any property that is considered by law or custom as inseparable from an inheritance is inherited with that inheritance
<noun.possession>
something that has been in a family for generations
<noun.possession>
Heirloom \Heir"loom`\, n. [Heir + loom, in its earlier sense of implement, tool. See {Loom} the frame.] Any furniture, movable, or personal chattel, which by law or special custom descends to the heir along with the inheritance; any piece of personal property that has been in a family for several generations.
Woe to him whose daring hand profanes The honored heirlooms of his ancestors. --Moir.
A bit of research showed it's an heirloom Italian variety just now appearing in U.S. catalogs.
They should have legal status beyond "a family heirloom or a pet rock."
Who would settle for an exact copy of a family heirloom, even a technically improved copy? One of modern history's most accomplished fakers was Han Van Meegeren of Holland.
Marcia Nave, who lives in the hillsabove Fontana, said she loaded her van with jewelry, photographs and heirloom guns but waited until the last minute to leave.
Many of the women wore heirloom pins and other mementos of parents and grandparents.
"The mayor's office is not an heirloom to be passed on from one generation to the next," acting Mayor Eugene Sawyer said.
Covered in grime, its upholstery ripped, it was old and once valued, a stray heirloom that spoke for the existence of another Alexandria.
In the past few weeks, the retired library clerk has lost her purse twice, her wallet and a heirloom earring, and in each case the people who found them returned the items.
Calling them a potential "worthy family heirloom," the company is offering a 12-piece set of the coins (covering several years and mints) for more than $150.