legacy

American  

[leg-uh-see] / ˈlɛg ə si /

noun

legacies plural

1. Law. a gift of property, especially personal property, such as money, by will; a bequest.

   Synonyms:

   inheritance

2. anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.

   the legacy of ancient Rome.

   Synonyms:

   inheritance

3. an applicant to or student at the alma mater of their parent or parents.

   As a legacy, he worried that professors would expect him to be less qualified than his peers.

4. Obsolete. the office, function, or commission of a legate.

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adjective

1. of or relating to old or outdated computer hardware, software, or data that, while still functional, does not work well with up-to-date systems.

   Legacy systems put you at greater risk of cyberattacks.

2. of or relating to an existing system, process, or state of affairs inherited from the past and typically a burden.

   legacy pollutants;

   a legacy drainage system.

3. being or relating to a university applicant or student whose parent or other close relative attended the same school.

   The admissions policies of most Ivy League schools favor legacy applicants.

legacy British  

/ ˈlɛɡəsɪ /

noun

1. a gift by will, esp of money or personal property

2. something handed down or received from an ancestor or predecessor

3. (modifier) surviving computer systems, hardware, or software

   legacy network

   legacy application

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• legacies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of legacy

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English legacie “office of a deputy or legate,” from Medieval Latin lēgātia, from Latin lēgāt(us) “deputy” ( see legate) + -ia, noun suffix ( cf. -acy)

Explanation

Use the word, legacy, for something handed down from one generation to the next. A retiring company president might leave a legacy of honesty and integrity. Legacy comes from the Latin verb, legare "to appoint by a last will, send as an ambassador." Originally, the noun meant "ambassador" or "envoy" but soon shifted to mean the money and property a person leaves behind in his will. Many university scholarships are funded by the legacies of former students. In recent usage, political leaders are said to be concerned with their legacies, the historically significant achievements of their tenure in office.

Example Sentences

Established tech giants like Alphabet and Amazon initially funded most of their AI investments with the gusher of cash generated from their legacy businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Thayil wants to get things right — he explains that he was the person thinking about Soundgarden’s legacy after the band broke up in 1997.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

If you make it a legacy for your two children, you have even more reason to keep the policy for now.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Fujimori, 51, appeals to the mixed legacy of her late father, who stabilized the economy and defeated a Maoist insurgency, but was convicted of corruption and crimes against humanity.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

Not just for me, but for all the other kids like me who will perish—just because of a legacy they never asked for.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• estate
• gift
• tradition