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hand down

2 syllables

Quick answer

As a verb, hand down means passed on, as by inheritance. As an adjective, it means passed on from one person to another.

Meanings of hand down

2 meanings

Passed on, as by inheritance
“This ring was handed down through many generations”

Passed on from one person to another
“not too proud to wear hand-me-down clothes”
Similar: hand-me-down

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).

adjective: passed on from one person to another