(HARE – lume)
A valuable something or other that has been handed down from one family member to the next through various generations. If my grandma were to give me her dentures and I were to give them to my own granddaughter, they would be an heirloom. More often, heirlooms are china plates or gaudy pins or fancy, old-fashioned clocks that kids are not allowed to touch. (source: The Real McCoys, book1)