legacies
What ancestors leave
Legacies are things passed down from predecessors—typically money or property left in a will, but also achievements, traditions, or consequences inherited from the past.
A political leader leaves a legacy of reform or scandal.
An institution carries the legacy of its founders.
Her grandmother's legacy included the house and a trust fund.
The legacy of colonialism shapes modern borders.
One who receives legacy
- beneficiaryDesignated asset receiver
- estateProperty and grounds
- willFaculty of deliberate choice
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
heirloom · probate · executor · bequeath · succession · trust · patrimony · intestate
Permanent donated fund
- foundationUnderlying support structure
- scholarshipEducational funding or erudition
- grantBestow or award money
- donationVoluntary charitable gift
fund · trust · charity · benefaction · patronage · philanthropy · contribution · sponsorship
Inherited cultural legacy
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
indigenous · preservation · conservation · artifacts · heirlooms · provenance · ethnology · practices
Descent from progenitors
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- forebearsAncestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
genealogy · roots · dynasty · clan · tribe · forefathers · patriarchs · matriarchs
Structures commemorating notable achievements
- chroniclesSequential historical accounts
- archivesStored historical documents
- relicsPreserved items from antiquity
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
antiquity · civilizations · dynasties · manuscripts · inscriptions · artifacts · excavation · tablets
Power to affect others
- contributionSomething given to help
- imprintMark from applied pressure
- markVisible impression or sign
- footprintMark from stepping
achievement · reputation · memory · remembrance · testament · body of work · life's work
heir
One who receives legacy
- beneficiaryDesignated asset receiver
- estateProperty and grounds
- willFaculty of deliberate choice
testament · heirloom · probate · executor · bequeath · succession · trust · patrimony · intestate · testator
endowment
Permanent donated fund
- foundationUnderlying support structure
- scholarshipEducational funding or erudition
- grantBestow or award money
donation · fund · trust · charity · benefaction · patronage · philanthropy · contribution · sponsorship · bequeathal
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
rituals · indigenous · preservation · conservation · artifacts · heirlooms · provenance · ethnology · practices · ceremonies
lineage
Descent from progenitors
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- forebearsAncestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
bloodline · genealogy · roots · dynasty · clan · tribe · forefathers · patriarchs · matriarchs · descent
monuments
Structures commemorating notable achievements
- chroniclesSequential historical accounts
- archivesStored historical documents
- relicsPreserved items from antiquity
ruins · antiquity · civilizations · dynasties · manuscripts · inscriptions · artifacts · excavation · tablets · codices
influence
Power to affect others
- contributionSomething given to help
- imprintMark from applied pressure
- markVisible impression or sign
footprint · achievement · reputation · memory · remembrance · testament · body of work · life's work
- Roman inheritanceheirs, testament, testator, intestate, bequests
- charitable givingcharitable gift, charitable gifts, donation, donations, contribution
- Greek lifefraternities, fraternity, sorority, sororities, frats
- inheritanceinheritances, heir, heirs, heiress, bequests
- willstestator, last will, testament, codicil, living will
- probateexecutor, probate court, probate, beneficiary, executors
legaciesinnovations
New methods or devices
fresh starts · new beginnings · novelties · origins · firsts
legaciesearnings
Money gained from work
achievements · accomplishments · merits · attainments · acquisitions
legaciesclean breaks
Complete, uncomplicated separations
fresh starts · ruptures · discontinuities · departures · revolutions
- family legaciesWhat ancestors pass down
- enduring legaciesContributions that persist through time
legacy, delegate, inheritance, relegate, delegation, bequest, delegated, delegates, delegating