Standard Lemma guide

heritage

name · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.tɪd͡ʒ/
  • Australian, Canada, General-American: /ˈhɛɹ.ə.tɪd͡ʒ/
  • Australian, Canada, General-American: [ˈhɛɹ.ə.ɾɪd͡ʒ]
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH EH1 R AH0 T AH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: HH EH1 R IH0 T IH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An inheritance; property that may be inherited.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A tradition; a practice or set of values that is passed down from preceding generations through families or through institutional memory.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A birthright; the status acquired by birth, especially of but not exclusive to the firstborn.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Having a certain background, such as growing up with a second language.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: attributive, countable, uncountable

Examples

  • a heritage speaker; a heritage language
  • The university requires heritage Spanish students to enroll in a specially designed Spanish program not available to non-heritage students.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

hereditary succession to a title or an office or property

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inheritance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: acquisition

7

noun

Meaning 7

any attribute or immaterial possession that is inherited from ancestors

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • my only inheritance was my mother's blessing
  • the world's heritage of knowledge

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inheritance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attribute

Narrower terms: birthright, background, upbringing

8

noun

Meaning 8

practices that are handed down from the past by tradition

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a heritage of freedom

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: practice

9

noun

Meaning 9

that which is inherited; a title or property or estate that passes by law to the heir on the death of the owner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inheritance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: transferred property, transferred possession

Narrower terms: primogeniture, borough English, accretion, bequest, legacy, birthright, patrimony, devise, heirloom

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

127 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ժառանգություն (žaṙangutʻyun) — property
  • Assamese: ঐতিহ্য (oitihyo) — property
  • Azerbaijani: miras — property
  • Bashkir: мираҫ (miraś) — property
  • Belarusian: спадчына (spadčyna) — property
  • Breton: hêrezh — property
  • Bulgarian: наследство (nasledstvo) — property
  • Catalan: patrimoni — property
  • Chinese Mandarin: 遺產 /遗产 (yíchǎn) — property
  • Czech: dědictví — property
  • Danish: arv — property
  • Dutch: erfenis — property
  • Erzya: кадомапель (kadomapeľ) — property
  • Ewe: domenyinu — property
  • Finnish: perintö — property
  • French: héritage — property
  • Galician: herdanza — property
  • Georgian: მემკვიდრეობა (memḳvidreoba) — property
  • German: Erbschaft — property
  • German: Erbe — property
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌹 (arbi) — property
  • Hungarian: örökség — property
  • Irish: oidhreacht — property
  • Italian: eredità — property
  • Japanese: 遺産 (isan) — property
  • Kazakh: мирас (miras) — property
  • Kazakh: мұра (mūra) — property
  • Korean: 유산 (yusan) — property
  • Kyrgyz: мурас (muras) — property
  • Macedonian: наследство (nasledstvo) — property
  • Middle English: heritage — property
  • Norwegian: arv — property
  • Plautdietsch: Häakunft — property
  • Polish: spadek — property
  • Portuguese: herança — property
  • Romanian: moștenire — property
  • Russian: насле́дство (naslédstvo) — property
  • Sanskrit: ऐतिह्य (aitihya) — property
  • Scottish Gaelic: oighreachd — property
  • Serbo-Croatian: nasledstvo — property
  • Serbo-Croatian: násljēđe — property
  • Serbo-Croatian: baština — property
  • Slovak: dedičstvo — property
  • Southern Altai: орынчы (orïnčï) — property
  • Spanish: herencia — property
  • Spanish: heredad — property
  • Swedish: arv — property
  • Swedish: arvegods — property
  • Telugu: వారసత్వం (vārasatvaṁ) — property
  • Thai: มรดก (mɔɔ-rá-dòk) — property
  • Turkish: miras — property
  • Ottoman Turkish: میراث (miras) — property
  • Ukrainian: спа́дщина (spádščyna) — property
  • Ukrainian: спа́док (spádok) — property
  • Vietnamese: di sản — property
  • Walloon: eritaedje — property
  • Walloon: eritance — property
  • Welsh: etifeddiaeth — property
  • Zazaki: miras — property
  • Armenian: ժառանգություն (žaṙangutʻyun) — tradition
  • Azerbaijani: irs — tradition
  • Azerbaijani: miras — tradition
  • Bashkir: мираҫ (miraś) — tradition
  • Breton: glad — tradition
  • Bulgarian: традиция (tradicija) — tradition
  • Catalan: llegat — tradition
  • Chinese Mandarin: 遺產 /遗产 (yíchǎn) — tradition
  • Czech: dědictví — tradition
  • Dutch: erfenis — tradition
  • Dutch: erfgoed — tradition
  • Esperanto: heredaĵo — tradition
  • Ewe: domenyinu — tradition
  • Finnish: perinne — tradition
  • Finnish: perimätieto — tradition
  • Finnish: perintö — tradition
  • French: héritage — tradition
  • Georgian: მემკვიდრეობა (memḳvidreoba) — tradition
  • German: (kulturelles) Erbe — tradition
  • Irish: oidhreacht — tradition
  • Italian: eredità — tradition
  • Italian: retaggio — tradition
  • Ladino: erensya — tradition
  • Latin: hērēditās — tradition
  • Macedonian: наследство (nasledstvo) — tradition
  • Malay: warisan — tradition
  • Māori: whakareretanga — tradition
  • Middle English: heritage — tradition
  • Polish: dziedzictwo — tradition
  • Polish: spuścizna — tradition
  • Portuguese: herança — tradition
  • Portuguese: património — tradition
  • Romanian: tradiție — tradition
  • Russian: насле́дие (naslédije) — tradition
  • Scots: heirskip — tradition
  • Scottish Gaelic: dualchas — tradition
  • Serbo-Croatian: násljēđe — tradition
  • Slovak: dedičstvo — tradition
  • Spanish: acervo — tradition
  • Swedish: arv — tradition
  • Swedish: kulturarv — tradition
  • Telugu: వారసత్వం (vārasatvaṁ) — tradition
  • Thai: มรดก (mɔɔ-rá-dòk) — tradition
  • Turkish: gelenek — tradition
  • Turkish: görenek — tradition
  • Turkish: adet — tradition
  • Turkish: anane — tradition
  • Ukrainian: спа́дщина (spádščyna) — tradition
  • Vietnamese: di sản — tradition
  • Walloon: eritance — tradition
  • Welsh: treftadaeth — tradition
  • Zazaki: edet (diq) — tradition
  • Ewe: domenyinu — birthright
  • Ewe: ŋgɔgbevinyenye — birthright
  • Finnish: syntymäoikeus — birthright
  • German: Geburtsrecht — birthright
  • German: Erbe — birthright
  • Irish: oidhreacht — birthright
  • Ladino: erensya — birthright
  • Macedonian: прворо́дство (prvoródstvo) — birthright
  • Middle English: heritage — birthright
  • Plautdietsch: Häakunft — birthright
  • Portuguese: herança — birthright
  • Russian: перворо́дство (pervoródstvo) — birthright
  • Scottish Gaelic: dual — birthright
  • Scottish Gaelic: còir-bhreith — birthright
  • Telugu: వారసత్వం (vārasatvaṁ) — birthright
  • Welsh: treftadaeth — birthright
Real reading context

heritage in complete knowledge articles