legacy

/ˈleɡəsi/LEH-guh-see

/ˈlɛɡəsi/LEH-guh-see

Meaninga thing left by law

Common meaning: something handed down by will or from the past

lega lawSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 328 · scan
acynoun ending marking a quality or condition

Journey through time

Latinlex, legis‘a law’source
Medieval Latinlegatia‘a bequest’source
Frenchlegacie‘a legacy’source
Englishlegacy‘something handed down by will or from the past’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin lēx ‘a law’.

Roots

lēx, lēgis Latin “a law”

Related words

legislator legitimate privilege

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