patrimony

English

Etymology

First attested in 1513. From earlier patrimoyne, from patremoyne, from Middle French patrimoine/patremoine, semi-learned borrowing from Latin patrimōnium, from pater (“father”) + -mōnium (“state, condition”). By surface analysis, patri- +‎ -mony. Compare matrimony.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpat.ɹɪ.mə.ni/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpæt.ɹɪˌmoʊ.ni/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: pat‧ri‧mo‧ny

Noun

patrimony (plural patrimonies)

1. A right or estate inherited from one's father; or, in a larger sense, from any male ancestor.

   Synonym: heirloom

2. Formerly, a church estate or endowment.

Derived terms

• cultural patrimony
• patrimonial

 

Related terms

• See Derived terms of pater
• See Derived terms of -mony

English terms prefixed with patri-

Translations

inheritance from one's ancestor

• Bulgarian: наследство (bg) n (nasledstvo), наследствен имот m (nasledstven imot)
• Catalan: patrimoni (ca) m
• Corsican: patrimoniu m
• Dutch: patrimonium (nl) n
• Finnish: isänperintö, perintö (fi)
• French: patrimoine (fr) m
• German: Patrimonium (de) n
• Greek: κληρονομιά (el) f (klironomiá), πατριμόνιο (el) n (património)
• Irish: dúchas
• Italian: patrimonio (it) m
• Latin: patrimōnium n
• Norwegian: fedrearv m
• Occitan: patrimòni (oc) m
• Polish: dziedzictwo (pl) n, ojcowizna (pl) f
• Portuguese: património (pt) m, patrimônio (pt) m (Brazil)
• Russian: насле́дство (ru) n (naslédstvo), во́тчина (ru) f (vótčina), насле́дие (ru) n (naslédije)
• Sardinian: patrimòniu m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: очевина f

  Roman: òčevina (sh) f

• Sicilian: patrimoniu m
• Spanish: patrimonio (es) m
• Turkish: miras (tr)
• Ukrainian: спадок (spadok), вотчина (votčyna), спадщина (uk) (spadščyna)

Further reading

• “patrimony”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “patrimony”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “patrimony”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.