Meaning & use
legacy
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
Something that remains from a person or past event, such as lasting influence or a tradition.
Grammar: Countable, usually with of: the legacy of war.
Patterns
- the legacy of something
- leave a legacy
The writer left a legacy of kindness in her town.
The war left a legacy of mistrust between the villages.
nouncountableformallegal
Money or property that a person leaves to someone in a will.
Grammar: Countable: she received a legacy from an aunt.
Patterns
- a legacy from someone
- leave someone a legacy
He used a small legacy to buy a cottage.
The charity depends on legacies from supporters.
adjectivebefore a nouncomputing
Describing older technology or systems that are still in use.
Grammar: Only before a noun: legacy software.
Patterns
- legacy system
- legacy code
The bank still runs on legacy software.
Updating legacy code can be risky.
Word forms
| plural | legacies |
|---|
Common combinations
- leave a legacy
- She wanted to leave a legacy for her children.
- lasting legacy
- The festival has a lasting legacy.
- cultural legacy
- The city's cultural legacy attracts tourists.
- legacy system
- The hospital replaced its legacy system.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heritage
- Focuses on traditions and culture passed down, not individuals.
- inheritance
- Usually money or property, with no sense of influence.
- bequest
- A formal word for something left in a will.
Word family
- legatee noun
- a person who receives something in a will
- legate noun
- an official representative
Commonly confused: legacy or heritage?
legacy vs heritage
Heritage is shared history and tradition; a legacy is what a particular person or event leaves behind.
Practice
The old mayor hoped to leave a lasting ___ of cleaner parks and rivers.
Choose one answer.
A legacy is what someone leaves behind after their time. Deposit and inventory do not fit a lasting contribution.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “legacy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.