heritage

n.

1. Inheritance

   inheritance, patrimony, legacy, birthright, heirship, ancestry, lot, right, dowry; see also division 2, heredity, share.

2. Tradition

   convention, endowment, cultural inheritance; see culture 2, custom 2, fashion 2, method 2, system 2.

heritage, the most general of these words, applies either to property passed on to an heir, or to a tradition, culture, etc. passed on to a later generation our heritage of freedom; inheritance applies to property, a characteristic, etc. passed on to an heir; patrimony strictly refers to an estate inherited from one's father, but it is also used of anything passed on from an ancestor; birthright applies to the rights one has because of being born in a certain family, nation, etc.