legacy
Americannoun
plural
legacies-
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of or relating to old or outdated computer hardware, software, or data that, while still functional, does not work well with up-to-date systems.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
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” ( legate ) + -ia, noun suffix ( -acy )
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.
The memory of that exchange came back to me recently while considering the legacy of “Mary Tyler Moore” in the context of what’s happening in Mary Richards’ beloved Minneapolis.
From Salon
His lasting legacy would be his activism and his barrier-shattering breakthrough as America’s first Black pop superstar.
It is, on the contrary, a way of continuing their legacy and celebrating them.
From MarketWatch
Mines are some of the most insidious and long-lasting legacies of war.
From BBC
It also has a 50-year legacy of hosting outreach programmes for young people.
From BBC
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.
