legacy
Americannoun
-
Law. a gift of property, especially personal property, such as money, by will; a bequest.
- Synonyms:
- inheritance
-
anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.
the legacy of ancient Rome.
- Synonyms:
- inheritance
-
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.
-
Obsolete. the office, function, or commission of a legate.
adjective
-
of or relating to old or outdated computer hardware, software, or data that, while still functional, does not work well with up-to-date systems.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.
-
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.
-
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.
noun
-
a gift by will, esp of money or personal property
-
something handed down or received from an ancestor or predecessor
-
(modifier) surviving computer systems, hardware, or software
legacy network
legacy application
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing legacy
Maniac Magee
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Starting Your New Life: Inspiring Words from Commencement Speeches
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With its combination of celebrity ownership, rich entertainment history, and unusually large parcel of land in the Hollywood Hills, the estate represents one of the area’s rare legacy properties.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
She expertly guides readers through the life and legacy of a man who reached beyond a narrow base to challenge a fragile status quo amid unfolding social change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The significance of Heather Knight's legacy is one that is difficult to measure.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
But Sunday’s tributes suggest that, for many who worked with him over the course of three decades in Congress, Graham’s legacy extends beyond the political alliance that defined his final years in office.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Well into the twentieth century and the civil rights movement, the poisonous legacy of slavery shaped many attitudes about African Americans.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Rosie Hicks, vice chair of the charity's board of trustees, said it was a challenging time for all charities and the trust was receiving fewer donations and legacies.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Only after he left Galveston did he begin to appreciate the holiday for the legacies of resistance and resilience it represented.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026
The committee recommended Yale adopt a leaner mission, establish minimum SAT scores and reduce admission preferences for legacies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
E Zaalan’s new show “Syrian Soap” also connects drag, culture and family legacies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
New Rome was all about tradition and legacies; the rules didn’t change easily.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
