patrimony

American  

[pa-truh-moh-nee] / ˈpæ trəˌmoʊ ni /

noun

plural

patrimonies

1. an estate inherited from one's father or ancestors.

   Synonyms:

   inheritance

2. any quality, characteristic, etc., that is inherited; heritage.

3. the aggregate of one's property.

4. the estate or endowment of a church, religious house, etc.

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patrimony British  

/ ˈpætrɪmənɪ, ˌpætrɪˈməʊnɪəl /

noun

1. an inheritance from one's father or other ancestor

2. the endowment of a church

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Other Word Forms

• patrimonial adjective
• patrimonially adverb

Etymology

Origin of patrimony

1300–50; Middle English patrimonie < Middle French < Latin patrimōnium. See patri-, -mony

Example Sentences

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

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

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

Officials declined to say how much the initiative cost, but the actual replica was made by the Factum Foundation, a Madrid-based non-profit that creates high-resolution digital replicas of the world’s cultural patrimony.

From Seattle Times

While acknowledging activists’ right to protest, he said they must “respect the law and our cultural and religious patrimony.”

From Washington Times