Definition of 'legacy'
Word forms: plural legacies
1. countable noun
A legacy is money or property which someone leaves to you when they die.
2. countable noun [noun NOUN]
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
[computing]
Documents have been unearthed on legacy computer systems or microfiche.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
legacy
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
Word Frequency
legacy in British English
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C14 (meaning: office of a legate), C15 (meaning: bequest): from Medieval Latin lēgātia commission; see legateWord Frequency
legacy in American English
nounWord forms: plural ˈlegacies
1.
money or property left to someone by a will; bequest
2.
anything handed down from, or as from, an ancestor
adjective
4.
being or having to do with something, esp. something outdated or otherwise undesirable, that is carried over from a previous system, business operation, etc.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
legacy in American English
(ˈleɡəsi)
nounWord forms: plural -cies
1. Law
a gift of property, esp. personal property, as money, by will; a bequest
2.
anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor
the legacy of ancient Rome
adjective
SYNONYMS 1, 2. inheritance.5.
of or pertaining to old or outdated computer hardware, software, or data that, while still functional, does not work well with up-to-date systems
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Examples of 'legacy' in a sentence
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In other languages
legacy
British English: legacy
NOUN /ˈlɛɡəsɪ/
A legacy is money or property which someone leaves to you when they die.
You could make a real difference to someone's life by leaving them a generous legacy.
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Definition of legacy from the Collins English Dictionary
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