Leg"a*cy (l&ebreve;g"&adot;*s&ybreve;), n.; pl. Legacies (- s&ibreve;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.
2. A business with which one is
intrusted by another; a commission; -- obsolete, except in the phrases last legacy, dying legacy, and the like.
My
legacy and message wherefore I am sent into the world.
Tyndale.
He came and told his
legacy.
Chapman. 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.
Hear it pronounced