noun
legacy
LEH-guh-see
noun
1
Money or property left to someone in a will.
"She used her grandmother's legacy to start a small business."
2
Something handed down from the past, especially the lasting impact of a person or era.
"His legacy as a civil rights leader endures decades after his death."
"The bridge remains a legacy of the city's Victorian engineers."
adj
1
Outdated but still in use, especially referring to old technology.
"The bank still relies on legacy software from the 1990s."
How to Use Legacy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething — money, achievements, or systems — left behind by someone or something earlier.
Common pairings
leave a legacy
legacy system
lasting legacy
Word Forms
legacies plural
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She used her grandmother's _____ to start a small business.
Etymology
From Old French legacie and Medieval Latin lēgātia, ultimately from Latin lēgātum, "something bequeathed."