What does legacy mean?
Word: Legacy
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Legacy means something that is handed down from the past, such as an idea, a building or a tradition.
Synonyms: heritage, inheritance
Word origin: From Old French, from a medieval Latin word connected with a person sent on official business.
How do you spell legacy?
Syllables: leg - a - cy
Tricky part: Legacy ends in cy, not sy or see: students who hear the s sound at the end write legasy.
Watch out for: legasy, leggacy, legacey
Memory tip: A legacy is a gift that comes down the years: let the c of comes and the y of years close the word.
Legacy in a sentence
Example 1: Kerala's snake boat races are part of a legacy that goes back centuries.
Example 2: The old banyan tree in our school is a living legacy of its founder.
Example 3: Good habits are among the best legacies parents can give their children.
Fun Fact
In computing, legacy software is old software that is still in use because it does an important job and is hard to replace.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct letter to make a meaningful word:
leg__cy
a) e
b) i
c) o
d) a
Show answer
d) a. The middle vowel is a weak a, the same letter that sits there in delicacy and literacy.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) literacy
b) legacy
c) suprimacy
d) privacy
Show answer
c) suprimacy. Supremacy comes from supreme, so it keeps the e after the pr.
Jumble Tumble
Unscramble the letters. Which option gives the meaning of the word you get?
aelgyc
a) a large piece of land given to a ruler
b) something handed on from an earlier time or generation
c) a formal agreement between two countries
d) a short, true story about a famous person
Show answer
b) something handed on from an earlier time or generation. The six letters make legacy, something passed on from the past.
Sound Check
Which word has a different 'g' sound from the rest?
a) league
b) legacy
c) legal
d) legend
Show answer
d) legend. Legend has the soft g of gem; legacy, legal and league use the hard g of go.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is part of the Mughal legacy in India?
a) the Delhi Metro
b) the Howrah Bridge
c) the Red Fort in Delhi
d) the Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Show answer
c) the Red Fort in Delhi
2. 'The coach's greatest legacy was a team that never gave up.' What was the coach's legacy?
a) the last match the coach ever played
b) the money the coach earned each year
c) the cups the coach won as a player
d) what the coach left behind for others
Show answer
d) what the coach left behind for others
