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

a rich heritage of folklore

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

especially : the traditions, achievements, beliefs, etc., that are part of the history of a group or nation

proud of her Chinese heritage

b

: an established or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior

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 of heritage

• 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

Gomez is rumored to be featured on the album, and has previously released her own Spanish-language music in celebration of her Mexican heritage, including her Revelacíon EP in 2021. — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

As part of its plan to do so, the heritage brand, originally launched in Los Angeles, is introducing its latest innovation, the Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Regenerating Cream, alongside a new communications platform called Break the Rules. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 15 July 2026

The original scan was performed at 8K resolution – what Brook has described as a first for a European heritage film – generating 450 terabytes of data before being finished for the Blu-ray presentation. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2026

The war began with Israeli strikes on Iran in February and has resulted in damage to numerous heritage sites in addition to the deaths of thousands of Iranians. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 14 July 2026

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