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

British heritage label Sunspel is accelerating its international retail footprint with a slate of strategic openings in Paris, which opened Thursday, and an upcoming flagship in Tokyo, which is slated for February. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2025

Entertaining performance Performers can run the gamut from cultural dancers celebrating a couple’s heritage to magicians to even a specialized singer. —Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025

Best Neighborhoods Centered along North Salina Street, Syracuse’s Little Italy reflects the city’s rich Italian American heritage. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025

The San Jose Sharks have apologized after an apparent offensive message seeming to praise Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was displayed on the arena’s scoreboard during the team’s Hispanic heritage celebration on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. —Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 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