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of or relating to old or outdated computer hardware, software, or data that, while still functional, does not work well with up-to-date systems.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:
"There is no greater way to honor Senator Graham's legacy than to move forward with this bipartisan agreement," six Republican and Democratic senators said in a joint statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The legacy is small, but it is radiant in its perfection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
As Betye Saar turns 100, she’s more interested in creating new work than reflecting on her legacy as one of America’s most groundbreaking artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
“The bottom line is that the market is clearly favoring foundational security and infrastructure layers over legacy applications as artificial intelligence reshapes software business models.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
At the very core of the revolutionary legacy, however, was a virulent hatred of monarchy and an inveterate suspicion of any consolidated version of political authority.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Well, I have tried to take into account all of those aspects, as well as the showpieces that provided the most compelling storylines and delivered the most enduring legacies.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
One of Greenspan’s most enduring legacies at the Fed was the way in which the dour and bespectacled New Yorker helped unravel the central bank’s mystique.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 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
But it is also showing up in metropolitan areas like Cleveland and Akron, which have struggled to evolve from their industrial legacies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
All that would survive of their friendship was the scientific legacy they had built together, and the very distinct legacies that would outlive them both.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
