heritage
UK /ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.tɪd͡ʒ/ · US /ˈhɛɹ.ə.tɪd͡ʒ/ noun, proper noun
Forms heritages hæritage
- noun An inheritance; property that may be inherited.
- noun A tradition; a practice or set of values that is passed down from preceding generations through families or through institutional memory.
- noun A birthright; the status acquired by birth, especially of but not exclusive to the firstborn.
- noun (attributive) Having a certain background, such as growing up with a second language. “a heritage speaker; a heritage language”
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English heritage, from Old French eritage, heritage (modern French héritage), ultimately derived (through suffixation) from Latin hērēs. By surface analysis, herit + -age.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective That which is inherited, or passes from heir to heir; inheritance.
- adjective A possession; the Israelites, as God's chosen people; also, a flock under pastoral charge. Joel iii. 2.
Etymology [OE. heritage, eritage, OF. heritage, eritage, F. héritage, fr. hériter to inherit, LL. heriditare. See Hereditable.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “heritage”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details