[leg.a.cy] n, pl -cies [ME legacie office of a legate, bequest, fr. MF or ML; MF, office of a legate, fr. ML legatia, fr. L legatus] (15c) 1: a gift by will esp. of money or other personal property: bequest
2: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past "the ~ of the ancient philosophers"