Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Apparent \Ap*par"ent\, a. [F. apparent, L. apparens, -entis, p. pr. of apparere. See Appear.]
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Capable of being seen, or easily seen; open to view; visible to the eye; within sight or view.
The moon . . . apparent queen.
--Milton. -
Clear or manifest to the understanding; plain; evident; obvious; known; palpable; indubitable.
It is apparent foul play.
--Shak. -
Appearing to the eye or mind (distinguished from, but not necessarily opposed to, true or real); seeming; as the apparent motion or diameter of the sun.
To live on terms of civility, and even of apparent friendship.
--Macaulay.What Berkeley calls visible magnitude was by astronomers called apparent magnitude.
--Reid.Apparent horizon, the circle which in a level plain bounds our view, and is formed by the apparent meeting of the earth and heavens, as distinguished from the rational horizon.
Apparent time. See Time.
Heir apparent (Law), one whose to an estate is indefeasible if he survives the ancestor; -- in distinction from presumptive heir. See Presumptive.
Syn: Visible; distinct; plain; obvious; clear; certain; evident; manifest; indubitable; notorious.
Heir \Heir\ ([^a]r), n. [OE. heir, eir, hair, OF. heir, eir, F. hoir, L. heres; of uncertain origin. Cf. Hereditary, Heritage.]
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One who inherits, or is entitled to succeed to the possession of, any property after the death of its owner; one on whom the law bestows the title or property of another at the death of the latter.
I am my father's heir and only son.
--Shak. -
One who receives any endowment from an ancestor or relation; as, the heir of one's reputation or virtues.
And I his heir in misery alone.
--Pope.Heir apparent. (Law.) See under Apparent.
Heir at law, one who, after his ancector's death, has a right to inherit all his intestate estate.
--Wharton (Law Dict.).Heir presumptive, one who, if the ancestor should die immediately, would be his heir, but whose right to the inheritance may be defeated by the birth of a nearer relative, or by some other contingency.
Wiktionary
n. (context usually monarchy English) Someone who will definitely inherit if surviving the one whose property is to be inherited.
WordNet
n. an heir whose right to an inheritance cannot be defeated if that person outlives the ancestor [ant: heir presumptive]
Wikipedia
An heir apparent is a person, of either sex, who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person.
An heir presumptive, by contrast, is someone who is first in line to inherit a title but who can be displaced by the birth of a more eligible heir.
Today these terms most commonly describe heirs to hereditary titles, particularly monarchies. They are also used metaphorically to indicate an "anointed" successor to any position of power, e.g., a political or corporate leader.
Most monarchies give (or gave) the heir apparent the title of Crown Prince or a more specific title, such as Prince of Orange in the Netherlands, Prince of Asturias in Spain, or Prince of Wales in the Commonwealth realms. In France the title was le Dauphin. See crown prince for more examples.
This article primarily describes the term heir apparent in a hereditary system regulated by laws of primogeniture—as opposed to cases where a monarch has a say in naming the heir.
Heir Apparent is a science fiction/ fantasy novel by young-adult fiction author Vivian Vande Velde, about a girl who becomes trapped inside a looping virtual reality role-playing game called ''Heir Apparent. '' The same girl appeared as a secondary character in User Unfriendly, Vande Velde's earlier book about a game from the same fictional company, Rasmussem, Inc. She later wrote a third book about this company, Deadly Pink. She does not consider the second or third book sequels, despite their taking place in the same universe as the first one, and she says the three books can be read in any order.
Vande Velde says, "Heir Apparent was a lot of fun to write because it's about a girl caught in a virtual-reality-type game. Even though Giannine finds herself in a vaguely medieval world, I didn't have to worry about historical accuracy. I also was able to keep throwing all sorts of things at her -- a dragon, an army of ghosts, and a poetry-loving/head-chopping statue."
Heir Apparent is an American heavy/ power metal band from Seattle, formed in 1983.
Usage examples of "heir apparent".
Rodric's father had not yet named him heir apparent, and Erland's claim was as clear as the King's, perhaps more so.
Leto doubted, given his position as heir apparent to House Atreides, that he would ever have much chance to fall in love, especially not with the woman he would eventually take as his wife .
Leto doubted, given his position as heir apparent to House Atreides, that he would ever have much chance to fall in love, especially not with the woman he would eventually take as his wife.
There was no clear succession Rodrics father had not yet named him heir apparent, and Erlands claim was as clear as the Kings, perhaps more so.
That Theodora concealed her bastards, and that her grandson by Justinian would have been heir apparent of the empire.
Since only the high priest knows all sixty-five thousand names, he is obliged to spend a good deal of time teaching their names to his heir apparent.
Now out of complete obscurity it reappears with my old friend Shea Ohmsford as the heir apparent.
Eventually, just as being heir apparent wasn't enough for him, being the officially designated successor wouldn't have been enough either.
To marry other than the reigning prince or the heir apparent, would be to demean England's honor.