Meaning & use

legacy

noun·Academic

Something handed down from the past, or the lasting impact a person or event leaves behind.

See it in a sentence

The scholarship program is part of the late professor's legacy to the university.

His grandfather left him a small legacy that helped pay for college.

A note on using this word

In technology, "legacy" describes outdated systems still in use, as in "legacy code," distinct from the inheritance sense.

Words with a similar meaning

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