Definition of LEGACIES (original) (raw)
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
1
: of, relating to, or being a previous or outdated computer system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
Following 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
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
Examples of legacy in a Sentence
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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Travis, whose legacy traces back to his father, Tripp Shumake, a celebrated NHRA Funny Car driver, brings with him a deep history. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 The book chronicling the life and legacy of a Dodgers legend is available for presale now. —Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
California colleges that violate the law are instructed to report some data points to the state, such as the admission rates for legacy and non-legacy applicants. —Frederick Hess, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 An analysis of Harvard admissions data, which became public through the court case, found that the acceptance rate for legacy applicants from 2010 to 2015 was 33.6 percent, about 5.7 times higher than the acceptance rate for non-legacy applicants. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for legacy 
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
1514, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1984, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of legacy was in 1514
Dictionary Entries Near legacy
Cite this Entry
“Legacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legacy. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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Last Updated: 6 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences
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