legacy
Definitions
Money or property left to someone in a will.
遗产，遗赠物。
Something handed down from the past or from a predecessor.
（前人留下的）遗产，影响，传承。
(Computing) outdated but still in use because replacing it is costly.
（计算机）遗留的，老旧但仍在使用的。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin legare 'to depute, bequeath' — a relative of lex (law), not of legere (read/choose). A legacy is something formally 'laid down' to be passed on: first money in a will, then any inheritance from the past, and in computing a 'legacy system' is one left behind by earlier developers that you must keep running.
Root lect still carries 128 more wordsWhy It Means This
Legacy belongs to the lex/legare ('law, bequeath') family, not to the 'read/choose' legere — a useful boundary to keep clear. It started as a strictly legal term for property assigned in a will, then broadened to any inheritance from the past (a leader's legacy), and tech adopted it for systems 'handed down' by earlier teams that are awkward but too embedded to discard.
Common Collocations
- 1.lasting legacy持久的影响
- 2.leave a legacy留下遗产
- 3.legacy system遗留系统
- 4.cultural legacy文化遗产
Example Sentences
- 1.
She left a generous legacy to the local hospital.
- 2.
The war left a legacy of distrust.
- 3.
We are slowly migrating off the old legacy system.