patrimony
Americannoun
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an estate inherited from one's father or ancestors.
- Synonyms:
- inheritance
-
any quality, characteristic, etc., that is inherited; heritage.
-
the aggregate of one's property.
-
the estate or endowment of a church, religious house, etc.
noun
-
an inheritance from one's father or other ancestor
-
the endowment of a church
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of patrimony
1300–50; Middle English patrimonie < Middle French < Latin patrimōnium. See patri-, -mony
Explanation
Something that's handed down from your father is an example of patrimony, like your name or your antique dining room table. Use the noun patrimony to describe an inheritance, especially if it comes from your father's side of the family through many generations. If your great-great-grandfather built the house you live in, it is your patrimony. The Latin origin of the word patrimony is pater, or "father," plus mōnium, "state or condition."
Vocabulary lists containing patrimony
It's All in the Family
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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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.
"Applications via patrimony are not considered or endorsed by our elected members, and there is no effective legal mechanism to remove this type of Freedom," the spokesperson added.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Michael Barry, a leading specialist in miniature art, said that people being deprived of their cultural patrimony was "the height of injustice".
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
But there’s no reason for this to be so, or for it to be a problem: Classic works are the patrimony of us all, whatever our politics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
And in 2009, the new constitution even recognized “ancestral coca as cultural patrimony, a renewable natural resource of Bolivia’s biodiversity, and as a factor of social cohesion.”
From Salon • Mar. 9, 2025
Each day you crowd this house like wolves to eat away my brave son’s patrimony.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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.
