patrimony

[pa-truh-moh-nee]

See more synonyms for patrimony on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural pat·ri·mo·nies.

an estate inherited from one's father or ancestors.
any quality, characteristic, etc., that is inherited; heritage.
the aggregate of one's property.

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

Origin of patrimony

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

Related formspat·ri·mo·ni·al, adjectivepat·ri·mo·ni·al·ly, adverb

Synonyms for patrimony

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1. inheritance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for patrimony

legacy, endowment, ancestry, estate, heritage, bequeathal

Examples from the Web for patrimony

Contemporary Examples of patrimony

She revealed her patrimony after Thurmond died; his family later acknowledged the relationship.
The Deaths You Missed This Year
Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So, Michael Moynihan, Caitlin Dickson
December 30, 2013
Paeans to patrimony and to the sanctity of land are good at rallying the faithful not only for Jews, but also Arabs.
Memo to Bibi Netanyahu: It’s Time to Build an Arsenal of Awe
Lloyd Green
December 2, 2013

Historical Examples of patrimony

One of them, the former probably, was the patrimony of Llywarch Hen.
Y Gododin
Aneurin
Still, fate can rob us of our patrimony, she replied, after a pause.
The Fifth String
John Philip Sousa
“Of that patrimony I now have thirteen cents left,” Don continued.
The Wall Street Girl
Frederick Orin Bartlett
But I have lost all my patrimony, and I will accept nothing.
Dreamers of the Ghetto
I. Zangwill
Within a day or so he came to consult me about a mortgage on his patrimony.
'Charge It'
Irving Bacheller

British Dictionary definitions for patrimony

patrimony

noun plural -nies

an inheritance from one's father or other ancestor
the endowment of a church

Derived Formspatrimonial (ˌpætrɪˈməʊnɪəl), adjectivepatrimonially, adverb

Word Origin for patrimony

C14 patrimoyne, from Old French, from Latin patrimonium paternal inheritance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for patrimony

mid-14c., "property of the Church," also "spiritual legacy of Christ," from Old French patremoine "heritage, patrimony" (12c.) and directly from Latin patrimonium "a paternal estate, inheritance from a father," also figurative, from pater (genitive patris) "father" (see father (n.)) + -monium, suffix signifying action, state, condition. Meaning "property inherited from a father or ancestors" is attested from late 14c. Figurative sense of "immaterial things handed down from the past" is from 1580s. A curious sense contrast to matrimony.