heritage

noun

her·​i·​tage ˈher-ə-tij 

ˈhe-rə-

1

: property that descends to an heir

2

a

: something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor : legacy, inheritance

proud of her Chinese heritage

a rich heritage of folklore

The battlefields are part of our heritage and should be preserved.

b

: tradition

the party's heritage of secularism

3

: something possessed as a result of one's natural situation or birth : birthright

the heritage of natural freedom was long since cast away

—V. L. Parrington

Synonyms

• tradition
• rule
• values

Examples of heritage in a Sentence

hospitality is a cherished Southern heritage

this farm is my heritage from my father, as it was for him from his father

Recent Examples on the Web

Rather than chasing every trend or asset class, invest where your heritage, relationships, and insight give you natural advantage. —Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

For Albarrán and Bourdais, Teruel’s rich heritage and wide-open spaces provided the perfect opportunity to create their vast architectural playground while also offering meaningful employment opportunities for the region’s builders and craftspeople. —Siobhan Reid, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2025

The concourses in each stand, for instance, have all been given a different theme, ranging from homages to Everton greats through to fan culture and even the city’s industrial and musical heritage. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025

Vevers’ approach is to continually push forward while looking back — melding together observations of what today’s youth desire; pushing forward sustainable initiatives, and honoring Coach’s leather goods heritage by incorporating inspirations from its vast archive. —Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English heritage, eritage, borrowed from Anglo-French, from heriter "to inherit, make an heir" (going back to Late Latin hērēditāre "to leave as an inheritance, inherit, make an heir," from Latin hērēd-, hērēs heir entry 1 + -itāre, verb suffix) + -age -age

Note: The Latin verb suffix -itāre normally has repetitive or frequentative value (cf. hesitate, meditate, palpitate), not factitive or causative value, so in this instance it may be of distinct origin. A possible model is the adjective hērēditārius (see hereditary), in the formation of which a stem hērēdit- appears to have been extracted from the noun hērēditāt-, hērēditās "succession to an heir, inheritance," by construing the suffix as -āt-, -ās (or, alternatively, *hērēditātārius was shortened by haplology to hērēditārius).

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

heritage

noun

her·​i·​tage ˈher-ət-ij 

1

: property that is handed down to an heir

2

: something acquired from the past

a rich heritage of folklore