heritage

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. bequest, inheritance, legacy, hereditament, patrimony. See possession.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Inheritance]

Syn. inheritance, patrimony, legacy, birthright, heirship, ancestry, lot, right, dowry; see also division 2 , heredity , share .

2. [Tradition]

Syn. convention, endowment, cultural inheritance; see culture 2 , custom 2 , fashion 2 , method 2 , system 2 .

Syn.- heritage , the most general of these words, applies either to property passed on to an heir, or to a tradition, culture, etc. passed on to a later generation [ our heritage of freedom ] ; inheritance applies to property, a characteristic, etc. passed on to an heir; patrimony strictly refers to an estate inherited from one's father, but it is also used of anything passed on from an ancestor; birthright applies to the rights one has because of being born in a certain family, nation, etc.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

legacy, inheritance, ancestry, tradition, birthright, lot. ''Scriptures . . . which have been absorbed into our blood.''—Sholom Asch.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. Something immaterial, as a style or philosophy, that is passed from one generation to another: inheritance, legacy, tradition. See AFFECT. 2. Any special privilege accorded a firstborn: birthright, inheritance, legacy, patrimony. See OWNED.