legacy
1 of 2noun
leg·a·cy ˈle-gə-sē 
plural legacies
1
: a gift by will especially of money or other personal property : bequest
She left us a legacy of a million dollars.
2
: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past
the legacy of the ancient philosophers
The war left a legacy of pain and suffering.
3
: a candidate for membership in an organization (such as a school or fraternal order) who is given special status because of a familial relationship to a member
Legacies, or children of alumni, are three times more likely to be accepted to Harvard than other high school graduates with the same (sometimes better) scores …
Michael Lind
Michael Lindlegacy
2 of 2adjective
1
: of, relating to, or being a previous or outdated computer system
transfer the legacy data
a legacy system
2
: of, relating to, associated with, or carried over from an earlier time, technology, business, etc.
And it is about more than just TV—newspapers, magazines, radio, all the "legacy" media are feeling the earth move beneath them. Journalists look out and see thousands of empty campus TV lounges and newsprint-less recycling bins and millions of iPads and smart phones and they wonder what's coming next. Dante Chinni
Dante ChinniFollowing ISG's takeover, 100,000 Bethlehem retirees and their dependents also lost their medical coverage, and they will get only a fraction of their original pension benefits. Avoiding those expenses, known as legacy costs, will save ISG more than $400 million a year. Nelson D. Schwartz
Nelson D. Schwartz
Did you know?
In its basic meaning, a legacy is a gift of money or other personal property that's granted by the terms of a will—often a substantial gift that needs to be properly managed. But the word is used much more broadly as well. So, for instance, much of Western civilization—law, philosophy, aesthetics— could be called the undying legacy of ancient Greece. And the rights and opportunities that women enjoy today are partly the legacy of the early suffragists and feminists.
Synonyms
Noun
- bequest
- birthright
- heritage
- inheritance
- patrimony
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun She left us a legacy of a million dollars. He left his children a legacy of love and respect. The war left a legacy of pain and suffering. Her artistic legacy lives on through her children.
Recent Examples on the Web Rhiannon Hoyle, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2022 The deal appears to add value to the legacy software firm. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 16 Sep. 2022 Think of another legacy rock act 50 years on, performing its most lurid or morbid material. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 16 Sep. 2022 In the 20th centuries, misconceptions about cannabis were used by lawmakers and legacy politicians like President Richard Nixon as an excuse to increase the policing and deportation of immigrants in Black and Brown communities. Marilyn La Jeunesse, Allure, 16 Sep. 2022 The top priority should be the exorbitant gas fees that make legacy payment and computer networks look cheap in comparison—Ethereum is never going to catch on if the first time someone tries it, the network dings them for $50 or more in fees. Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2022 Last year’s legacy honor went to Dr. Paul T. Kwami and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2022 Beyond the court, his legacy project, known to trusted advisers and family members as the Curryverse, knows no bounds. Matt Sullivan, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2022 And thanks to Target’s partnership with Ulta, the retailer is also now home to legacy brands like Too Faced, Tarte, and KVD. Daisy Maldonado, SELF, 13 Sep. 2022 Archana Jain, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2021 The donations boycott is designed to build on past anti-legacy efforts. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021 Legacy outdoor companies like Patagonia are selling food now, as are upstart outfits like Good to-Go, a Maine company that Jennifer Scism, 52, a chef and former partner at the acclaimed New York restaurant Annisa, started in 2014. Kim Severson, New York Times, 26 June 2017 Legacy coach Christopher Word isn’t at all surprised by Powers’ success. Shawn Smajstrla, star-telegram, 21 June 2017 Legacy students whose parents are alumni and who contribute a lot of money to the college? Gerald Bradshaw, Post-Tribune, 10 May 2017 See More
Noun
Marc Bishop Lafleche, Anglo Pacific’s chief executive, expects more miners to seek to turn legacy royalties and streams into cash. Rhiannon Hoyle, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2022 The deal appears to add value to the legacy software firm. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 16 Sep. 2022 Think of another legacy rock act 50 years on, performing its most lurid or morbid material. A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 16 Sep. 2022 In the 20th centuries, misconceptions about cannabis were used by lawmakers and legacy politicians like President Richard Nixon as an excuse to increase the policing and deportation of immigrants in Black and Brown communities. Marilyn La Jeunesse, Allure, 16 Sep. 2022 The top priority should be the exorbitant gas fees that make legacy payment and computer networks look cheap in comparison—Ethereum is never going to catch on if the first time someone tries it, the network dings them for $50 or more in fees. Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2022 Last year’s legacy honor went to Dr. Paul T. Kwami and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2022 Beyond the court, his legacy project, known to trusted advisers and family members as the Curryverse, knows no bounds. Matt Sullivan, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2022 And thanks to Target’s partnership with Ulta, the retailer is also now home to legacy brands like Too Faced, Tarte, and KVD. Daisy Maldonado, SELF, 13 Sep. 2022 Adjective
According to findings from Gartner, by 2023, 30% of large enterprises will be using AIOps to monitor the non-legacy segments of their IT estates. Archana Jain, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2021 The donations boycott is designed to build on past anti-legacy efforts. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2021 Legacy outdoor companies like Patagonia are selling food now, as are upstart outfits like Good to-Go, a Maine company that Jennifer Scism, 52, a chef and former partner at the acclaimed New York restaurant Annisa, started in 2014. Kim Severson, New York Times, 26 June 2017 Legacy coach Christopher Word isn’t at all surprised by Powers’ success. Shawn Smajstrla, star-telegram, 21 June 2017 Legacy students whose parents are alumni and who contribute a lot of money to the college? Gerald Bradshaw, Post-Tribune, 10 May 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English legacie office of a legate, bequest, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, office of a legate, from Medieval Latin legatia, from Latin legatus
Adjective
from attributive use of legacy entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1984, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
legacy
noun
leg·a·cy ˈle-gə-sē
plural legacies
1
: property (as money) left to a person by a will
2
: something (as memories or knowledge) that comes from the past or a person of the past
the poet's legacy
Legal Definition
legacy
noun
leg·a·cy ˈle-gə-sē
plural legacies
: a gift of property by will
specifically : a gift of personal property by will : bequest see also ademption compare devise
— conjoint legacy
in the civil law of Louisiana : a legacy by a single disposition to more than one legatee or of indivisible property to more than one legatee
— demonstrative legacy \\ di-ˈmän-strə-tiv- \\
: a legacy payable from a designated fund or asset or from the general assets of the estate to the extent the specified fund or asset fails to satisfy the legacy
— general legacy
: a legacy payable out of the general assets of the estate
— legacy under a universal title
in the civil law of Louisiana : a legacy that consists of a specified proportion (as one-half), a specified type (as movables), or a specified proportion of a specified type of the testator's property
— particular legacy
in the civil law of Louisiana : any legacy that is not a universal legacy or a legacy under a universal title
called also legacy under particular title
— residuary legacy
: a legacy that consists of all of the testator's estate which has not been distributed through other legacies or charges upon the estate
— specific legacy
: a legacy payable only from a specific fund or asset in the estate
— universal legacy
in the civil law of Louisiana : a legacy by which a testator gives to one or more legatees all of his or her property at the time of death
legacy
noun
as in inheritance
something that is or may be inherited the old locket was part of the legacy from my great-great-grandmother Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- inheritance
- bequest
- heritage
- patrimony
- gift
- present
- heirloom
- offering
- birthright
- bestowal