A legacy is money or property which someone leaves to you when they die.
You could make a real difference to someone's life by leaving them a generous legacy.
Synonyms: bequest, inheritance, endowment, gift More Synonyms of legacy
2. countable noun [noun NOUN]
A legacyof an event or period of history is something which is a direct result of it and which continues to exist after it is over.
...the legacy of inequality and injustice created by Apartheid. [+ of]
The old system has left a mixed legacy.
Synonyms: repercussion, result, fruit, consequences More Synonyms of legacy
More Synonyms of legacy
legacy in British English
(ˈlɛɡəsɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-cies
1.
a gift by will, esp of money or personal property
2.
something handed down or received from an ancestor or predecessor
3. (modifier)
relating to surviving computer systems, hardware, or software
legacy network
legacy application
Word origin
C14 (meaning: office of a legate), C15 (meaning: bequest): from Medieval Latin lēgātia commission; see legate
legacy in American English
(ˈlɛgəsi)
nounWord forms: pluralˈlegacies
1.
money or property left to someone by a will; bequest
2.
anything handed down from, or as from, an ancestor
3. US
a student applying or admitted to a college or university who is a relative of an alumnus
adjective
4.
being or having to do with something, esp. something outdated or otherwise undesirable, that is carried over from a previous system, business operation, etc.
Word origin
ME legacie < OFr < ML legatia < L legatus: see legate
COBUILD Collocations
legacy
cultural legacy
lasting legacy
Examples of 'legacy' in a sentence
legacy
The major reasons being the high legacy software support costs.
Computing (2010)
The campaign is supported by a host of charities in the hope of securing legacy gifts.
The Sun (2016)
We hope the statue will help visitors to Kensington Palace to reflect on her life and legacy.
The Sun (2017)
We hope the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on her life and her legacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The legacy of a life in the workhouse?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
His personal legacy will be in question.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
One act stands out in this mixed legacy.
Christianity Today (2000)
The best guess was that he was trying to ensure his own legacy in history.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But there is so much more to his legacy and his life.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The legacy of the period remains in the form of divided memories and frequent disputes over the facts themselves.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
His personal legacy depends on the success he has in ushering in an era of normal yet stable party politics.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He has four years to make a legacy but some of what we are trying to do will take a generation.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Something for the legacy committee to consider, perhaps?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It's the way to make a legacy happen.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Documentary examining the history and legacy of reggae in Britain.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
That's a life changing legacy for a lot of young people in the city.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And it is up to the rest of us make sure his legacy lives on, too.
The Sun (2013)
Capita said that it had taken over recruitment in March and was still using army legacy computer systems.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Some founders are driven to forge a legacy, something larger than themselves that they hope will endure.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
As the survivor struggles with the tasks of adult life, the legacy of her childhood becomes increasingly burdensome.
Herman, Judith Lewis Trauma and Recovery (1992)
A new body is a personal legacy, a monument to your time in office.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Legacy isn't something you can identify and leave; it has to be nurtured and used.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
That's his personal Afghan legacy.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
legacy
British English: legacy NOUN
A legacy is money or property which someone leaves to you when they die.
You could make a real difference to someone's life by leaving them a generous legacy.
American English: legacy
Brazilian Portuguese: legado
Chinese: 遗产
European Spanish: herencia
French: legs
German: Erbschaft
Italian: eredità
Japanese: 遺産
Korean: 유산
European Portuguese: legado
Latin American Spanish: legado
Chinese translation of 'legacy'
legacy
(ˈlɛɡəsɪ)
n(c)
(in will) 遗(遺)产(產) (yíchǎn) (笔, bǐ)
the legacy of[event, historical period] ... 的后(後)果 ( ... de hòuguǒ)
1 (noun)
Definition
money or personal property left to someone by a will
You could make a real difference to someone's life by leaving them a generous legacy.
Synonyms
bequest
Only one in eight leaves a bequest to charity.
inheritance
endowment
The company gave the Oxford Union a generous £1m endowment.
gift
a gift of $50,000
estate
devise (law)
heirloom
2 (noun)
Definition
something handed down to a successor
The `fight or flight syndrome' is a legacy from the days of our ancestors.
Synonyms
heritage
The building is part of our heritage.
tradition
inheritance
She feared losing her inheritance to her stepmother.
throwback
birthright
Freedom is the natural birthright of every human.
patrimony
I relinquished my estate and my patrimony.
Britain's patrimony of country houses
3 (noun)
a programme to overcome the country's legacy of inequality
Synonyms
repercussion
It was an incident which had repercussions.
result
This is the result of eating too much fatty food.
fruit
The findings are the fruit of more than three years' research.
consequences
aftermath
In the aftermath of the coup, troops opened fire on demonstrators.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aftermath
Definition
effects or results of an event considered collectively
In the aftermath of the coup, troops opened fire on demonstrators.
Synonyms
effects,
end,
results,
wake,
consequences,
outcome,
sequel,
end result,
upshot,
aftereffects
in the sense of birthright
Definition
privileges or possessions that a person has or is believed to be entitled to as soon as he or she is born
Freedom is the natural birthright of every human.
Synonyms
right,
due,
heritage,
privilege,
patrimony
in the sense of endowment
Definition
the money given to an institution, such as a hospital
The company gave the Oxford Union a generous £1m endowment.
Synonyms
provision,
fund,
funding,
award,
income,
grant,
gift,
contribution,
revenue,
subsidy,
presentation,
donation,
legacy,
hand-out,
boon (archaic),
bequest,
stipend,
bestowal,
benefaction,
largesse or largess,
koha (New Zealand)
Synonyms of 'legacy'
legacy
Explore 'legacy' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of fruit
Definition
the results of an action or effort, esp. if pleasant
The findings are the fruit of more than three years' research.
Synonyms
result,
reward,
outcome,
end result,
return,
effect,
benefit,
profit,
advantage,
consequence
in the sense of gift
Definition
something given to someone
a gift of $50,000
Synonyms
donation,
offering,
present,
contribution,
grant,
legacy,
hand-out,
endowment,
boon (archaic),
bequest,
gratuity,
prezzie (informal),
benefaction,
bonsela (South Africa),
largesse or largess,
bonus,
endowment,
bounty,
koha (New Zealand)
in the sense of inheritance
Definition
something inherited or to be inherited
She feared losing her inheritance to her stepmother.
Synonyms
legacy,
estate,
heritage,
provision,
endowment,
bequest,
birthright,
patrimony
in the sense of patrimony
Definition
an inheritance from one's father or other ancestor
I relinquished my estate and my patrimony.Britain's patrimony of country houses
Synonyms
inheritance,
share,
heritage,
portion,
legacy,
bequest,
birthright
in the sense of result
Definition
the outcome or consequence of an action, policy, etc.