legacy

legacy — adjective

1. Relating to a computer system, software, or piece of equipment that comes from a

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

Relating to a computer system, software, or piece of equipment that comes from an older generation but continues to be operated because it still serves a practical purpose, even though newer versions exist.

Example

Salma's company still runs legacy software that no one knows how to update.

collocation: legacy software / legacy system

The hospital replaced all its old legacy computers with new machines last year.

Common collocations
  • legacy code
  • legacy system
  • legacy software
  • legacy hardware
  • legacy technology
  • legacy application
Synonyms
  • outdated

    stronger implication that the item should be replaced; legacy suggests continued usefulness

  • older

    neutral, less technical; does not imply continued operation

  • inherited

    suggests the system was received from a previous team or company, not planned

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

legacy + noun

Usage Note

Almost always placed before a noun (attributive position). Most common in computing and technology contexts, where it distinguishes equipment or programs that are still used from modern replacements.

Common Mistakes

I need to legacy this program.
I need to update this old legacy program.
Legacy is an adjective, not a verb.
That software is legacy.
That is legacy software.
In formal English, legacy is rarely used alone after a linking verb.

2. Describing an airline that has been in continuous operation since before the US

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

Describing an airline that has been in continuous operation since before the US airline industry was deregulated in 1978, typically with higher costs and fuller service compared to newer low-cost competitors.

Example

Amani works for a major legacy carrier and has never flown with a budget airline.

variety: American English; collocation: legacy carrier

After deregulation, legacy airlines struggled to lower their operating costs.

Common collocations
  • legacy airline
  • legacy carrier
  • legacy status airline
Synonyms
  • traditional

    broader meaning; legacy is a more precise term in US aviation

  • full-service

    focuses on the service model rather than historical status

Antonyms
  • low-cost

    budget airlines with simpler service

  • budget

    inexpensive airlines that entered the market after deregulation

Grammar Patterns

legacy + airline / carrier

Usage Note

Primarily used in US aviation discussions. Refers specifically to airlines such as American, Delta, and United that operated before the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, as opposed to newer carriers like Southwest or JetBlue.

Common Mistakes

The legacy airline lost my bag.
The legacy carrier lost my bag.
Both are correct for this sense, but carrier is the technical industry term.

legacy — noun

Word family

  • legatee
    nounC2
  • legate
    nounC2
  • legatorial
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Legacy (sense 2, HISTORICAL IMPACT) refers broadly to any lasting effect or contribution from the past — it can be positive or negative, personal or collective. Heritage focuses on shared cultural or national assets (language, customs, monuments) that a group consciously preserves; it is almost always positive and collective. Inheritance overlaps most with legacy sense 1 (financial), but when used abstractly it suggests something received by birthright rather than earned or created (e.g. 'inheritance of a family business'). Tradition refers to a specific repeated practice or custom handed down over generations — narrower than legacy, which covers both concrete effects and intangible influence. Bequest is the narrowest and most formal: a specific gift named in a will, always legal and financial. For example: 'The artist's legacy is the way she changed how people see colour.' (impact on thinking) vs 'The artist's heritage includes the folk motifs she revived.' (shared cultural material) vs 'Her bequest of £50,000 funded the gallery.' (legal gift of money).

heritage ↗inheritance ↗tradition ↗bequest

Common collocations

Phrases

  • leave a legacy
  • create a legacy
  • build a legacy
  • carry on a legacy
  • hand down a legacy
  • establish a legacy

Prepositions

  • of (a legacy of poverty / a legacy of innovation)
  • from (a legacy from an earlier era)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word legacy comes from the Latin noun legatus, meaning an ambassador or deputy. In medieval Latin legatia referred to the office of a legate. During the 15th century, English adopted legacy through legal French to mean a gift of personal property left in a will — a 'legate's' charge. By the 1800s the meaning expanded beyond money to any lasting effect or thing handed down from the past. The modern adjective sense, particularly in computing, emerged in the 1970s and 1980s as companies referred to older systems still in use as 'legacy' equipment.