from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Legacy \Leg"a*cy\ (l[e^]g"[.a]*s[y^]), n.; pl. {Legacies}
(-s[i^]z). [L. (assumed) legatia, for legatum, from legare to
appoint by last will, to bequeath as a legacy, to depute: cf.
OF. legat legacy. See {Legate}.]
1. A gift of property by will, esp. of money or personal
property; a bequest. Also Fig.; as, a legacy of dishonor
or disease.
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2. A business with which one is intrusted by another; a
commission; -- obsolete, except in the phrases last
legacy, dying legacy, and the like.
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My legacy and message wherefore I am sent into the
world. --Tyndale.
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He came and told his legacy. --Chapman.
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{Legacy duty}, a tax paid to government on legacies.
--Wharton.
{Legacy hunter}, one who flatters and courts any one for the
sake of a legacy.
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