heritage

Etymology

From Old French eritage, heritage, (French héritage), ultimately derived (through suffixation) from Latin hērēs.

noun

1. An inheritance; property that may be inherited.
2. A tradition; a practice or set of values that is passed down from preceding generations through families or through institutional memory.
3. A birthright; the status acquired by birth, especially of but not exclusive to the firstborn.
4. (attributive) Having a certain background, such as growing up with a second language.
   a heritage speaker; a heritage language
   The university requires heritage Spanish students to enroll in a specially designed Spanish program not available to non-heritage students.