heritage

English Online Dictionary. What means heritage‎? What does heritage mean?

English

Alternative forms

• hæritage (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English heritage, from Old French eritage, heritage (modern French héritage), ultimately derived (through suffixation) from Latin hērēs. By surface analysis, herit +‎ -age.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.tɪd͡ʒ/
• Hyphenation: her‧i‧tage

Noun

heritage (countable and uncountable, plural heritages)

1. An inheritance; property that may be inherited.
2. A tradition; a practice or set of values that is passed down from preceding generations through families or through institutional memory.
3. A birthright; the status acquired by birth, especially of but not exclusive to the firstborn.
4. (attributive) Having a certain background, such as growing up with a second language.

Derived terms

Related terms

• See heir

Translations

See also

• (agriculture): heirloom, landrace

References

Middle English

Alternative forms

• eritage, erytage, herytage, hiritage, hirritage
• heretage (Late Middle English)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French eritage, heritage; equivalent to heriten +‎ -age.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛriˈtaːd͡ʒ(ə)/, /iriˈtaːd͡ʒ(ə)/

Noun

heritage (uncountable)

1. An inheritance; that subject to inheritance.
   1. (figurative) One's assigned or bequeathed position in Heaven or Hell.
   2. (figurative, rare) The Christian people as God's inheritance.
2. (by extension) That inherited from one's ancestors; heritage.
3. Inheritance; the familial transmission of property or disease.
4. (rare) A present or gift.
5. (rare) One's inheritors or successors.

Descendants

• English: heritage
• Middle Scots: heritage, heretage

References

• “heritāǧe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle French

Alternative forms

• heritaige
• eritage, hiretage, iretage (less common)

Etymology

Inherited from Old French eritage; equivalent to heriter +‎ -age.

Noun

heritage m (plural heritages)

1. An inheritance or heritage; that subject to inheritance.
2. Inheritance; the familial transmission of property.
3. Perpetual possession, possession allowing for inheritance.

Related terms

• heritier

Descendants

• French: héritage

Old French

Noun

heritage oblique singular, m (oblique plural heritages, nominative singular heritages, nominative plural heritage)

1. Alternative form of eritage