| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| heritage |
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| SYLLABICATION: | her·i·tage |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  h r  -tj |
| NOUN: | 1. Property that is or can be inherited; an inheritance. 2. Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition. 3. The status acquired by a person through birth; a birthright: a heritage of affluence and social position. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old French, from eritier, heir, from Medieval Latin h rdit rius, from Latin, inherited. See hereditary. | | SYNONYMS: | heritage, inheritance, legacy, tradition These nouns denote something immaterial, such as a custom, that is passed from one generation to another: a heritage of moral uprightness; a rich inheritance of storytelling; a legacy of philosophical thought; the tradition of noblesse oblige.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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