heritage

noun

her·​i·​tage ˈher-ə-tij How to pronounce heritage (audio)
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 awayV. L. Parrington

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In Kentucky, a state known for its bourbon heritage, Gregory said every job created by the bourbon industry has a ripple effect on the state economy, generally creating or supporting an additional three jobs. Olivia Evans, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025 The Eaton fire in Altadena burned tens of thousands of acres, including artist studios, musical havens and important sites of Black Angeleno heritage. Rachel Kraus, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025 El-Bushra is of Sudanese heritage and brought up in Kilburn in northwest London, and Fall is of Indian South Asian heritage brought up in South London. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025 Tracing the mole’s evolutionary heritage For years the marsupial mole’s strange, specialised traits have frustrated attempts to determine precisely who its closest relatives actually are. Charles Feigin / The Conversation, Popular Science, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for heritage 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of heritage was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near heritage

Cite this Entry

“Heritage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heritage. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

heritage

noun
her·​i·​tage ˈher-ət-ij How to pronounce heritage (audio)
1
: property that is handed down to an heir
2
: something acquired from the past
a rich heritage of folklore

More from Merriam-Webster on heritage

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