Basic Details
Word: Patrimony
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Property or money passed down to you from your father or your ancestors. It can also mean a country's heritage.
Synonyms: inheritance, heritage, legacy, birthright
Word origin: From the Latin patrimonium, property inherited from a father.
How to Spell Patrimony
Syllables: pat - ri - mo - ny
Tricky part: The middle is ri, not re, and the end is mony, not money, even though a patrimony is often money.
Watch out for: patrimoney, patremony, patrimany
Memory tip: Patrimony comes through the father (pater in Latin). Write patri, then mony, as in harmony.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The house in Kochi was part of his patrimony.
Example 2: She sold a piece of her patrimony to fund her studies abroad.
Example 3: Old manuscripts are part of a country's patrimony.
Fun Fact
In French, UNESCO's World Heritage List is the Liste du patrimoine mondial, using the French cousin of patrimony.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word patrimony as it is used in the sentence:
The old haveli and its mango orchards were the only patrimony Vikram received.
a) salary
b) inheritance
c) debt
d) purchase
Show answer
b) inheritance. Property handed down in a family is an inheritance.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. patrimony 2. ceremoney 3. testemony 4. matrimoney
a) a formal statement, especially in a court
b) the state of being married
c) a formal event held on a special occasion
d) property passed down from a father or ancestors
Show answer
d) property passed down from a father or ancestors. All four words should end in mony; matrimony, testimony and ceremony have gained an e here, so patrimony is the right one.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
The ruined fort is part of the nation's ytimopnar.
a) patrimony
b) matrimony
c) testimony
d) parsimony
Show answer
a) patrimony. Matrimony starts with m and parsimony needs an s; a nation's heritage is its patrimony.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A family's patrimony is usually ____.
a) handed down from earlier generations
b) bought only last week
c) won in a lottery
d) borrowed from a bank
Show answer
a) handed down from earlier generations
2. A nation's cultural patrimony could include ____.
a) its ancient temples and folk songs
b) its traffic lights
c) its weekly bus timetable
d) its newest shopping mall
Show answer
a) its ancient temples and folk songs
