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.
Sometimes the best innovations are already part of our heritage, the old becoming new again. Rich Baum, New York Daily News, 24 Mar. 2025 Meloni’s government has removed progressive executives from public arts and culture institutions across the country and replaced them with experts more celebratory of Italian heritage. Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 24 Mar. 2025 The first meaning shows the heritage of the original Latin. Erik Sherman, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025 According to the officials, the team took down several major historical heritage sites that had many postings about women and various ethnic or racial groups. arkansasonline.com, 23 Mar. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Heritage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heritage. Accessed 22 Apr. 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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