Legal Definitions - blood

Blood refers to a relationship between people who are related by descent from a common ancestor. There are different types of blood relationships:

• Full blood: This is the relationship between people who have the same two parents. They have unmixed ancestry.
• Half blood: This is the relationship between people who have the same father or mother, but not both parents in common.
• Mixed blood: This is an archaic term that refers to the relationship between people whose ancestors are of different races or nationalities.
• Heritable blood: This is a historical term that refers to the relationship between an ancestor and an heir that the law recognizes for purposes of passing good title to property.

For example, two siblings who have the same mother and father have full blood relationship. On the other hand, two half-siblings who share only one parent have a half blood relationship.

The concept of blood relationships is important in inheritance law, as it determines who is entitled to inherit property from a deceased person. For instance, if a person dies without a will, their property will be distributed among their heirs based on their blood relationship.