heritage

[ her-i-tij ]
See synonyms for heritage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. something that is handed down from the past, as a tradition: a national heritage of honor, pride, and courage.

  2. something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; an inherited lot or portion: a heritage of poverty and suffering.

  1. something reserved for one: the heritage of the righteous.

  2. Law.

    • something that has been or may be inherited by legal descent or succession.

    • any property, especially land, that devolves by right of inheritance.

adjective
  1. noting or relating to a product, place, etc., that evokes a nostalgic sense of tradition or history: visitors to a heritage site in the Middle East.

  2. noting or relating to an older, traditional breed of animal or plant: raising pure-breed heritage hogs.: Compare heirloom (def. 3).

Origin of heritage

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Middle French, from herit(er) “to inherit” + -age -age; see heir

synonym study For heritage

2. See inheritance.

Other words for heritage

Words Nearby heritage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use heritage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for heritage

heritage

/ (ˈhɛrɪtɪdʒ) /


noun
  1. something inherited at birth, such as personal characteristics, status, and possessions

  2. anything that has been transmitted from the past or handed down by tradition

    • the evidence of the past, such as historical sites, buildings, and the unspoilt natural environment, considered collectively as the inheritance of present-day society

    • (as modifier; cap. as part of name): Bannockburn Heritage Centre

  1. something that is reserved for a particular person or group or the outcome of an action, way of life, etc: the sea was their heritage; the heritage of violence

  2. law any property, esp land, that by law has descended or may descend to an heir

  3. Bible

    • the Israelites regarded as belonging inalienably to God

    • the land of Canaan regarded as God's gift to the Israelites

Origin of heritage

1
C13: from Old French; see heir

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012