heres necessarius

noun

he·​res ne·​ces·​sa·​ri·​us

ˈhāˌrāˌsnekəˈsärēəs

Roman law

: a slave who is instituted by his master as his heir and who upon his master's death automatically attains his freedom and becomes his heir

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, literally, heir of necessity

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!