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legacy

noun

Simple meaning

Something inherited from a predecessor or the past.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

lehguhsee

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈlɛɡəsi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. Something inherited from a predecessor or the past.

  2. law

    A gift of personal property by will

  3. law

    Money or property bequeathed to someone in a will.

  4. education

    The descendant of an alumnus, given preference in academic admissions.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Something inherited from a predecessor or the past.

Used this way, legacy is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use legacy

  • “Because she was a legacy, her mother's sorority rushed her.”noun
  • “John Muir left as his legacy an enduring spirit of respect for the environment.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

legacy systemhistorical legacycultural legacycolonial legacyrich legacypolitical legacyimportant legacylasting legacy

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.