heritage: may apply to anything that is passed on not only to an heir or heirs but to the succeeding generation or generations: want, the ~ of waste.     （多指世代传承的遗产，如he is proud of his polish heritage他为自己的波兰文化遗产感到骄傲，如world heritage世界遗产包括自然/文化遗产natural/cultural heritage，文化遗产包括物质/非物质文化遗产tangible/intangible cultural heritage）   （形容词heritable可遗传的可世袭的=inheritable，如a heritable disease遗传病，a heritable title可世袭的头衔爵位）        注意:继承人heir  [eə(r)]首字母不发音


inheritance: refers to what passes from parents to children, such as money, property, or character traits, or to the fact or means of inheriting: brown eyes, her ~ from her father.     这个词通用，遗传也用这个词      trait生理特征  


patrimony: applies to the money or property inherited from one's father, but also generally to one's ancestral inheritance: the intellectual ~ of the Renaissance.  词根PATR表示father父亲，如paternal父亲的，如patron资助者顾客原指像父亲一样提供支持帮助的人，如patriarchy父权制男权统治patrician贵族上流社会patricide弑父expatriate移居国外paternalistic像父亲操心管教子女一样的，用在外人身上有贬义


birthright: generally implies the rights to which one is entitled by nativity, as by being a native-born citizen or a descendant of a particular family: honor that was their ~.    如the freedom that is our birthright自由是我们的天赋人权      （entitle使有资格有权to give someone the right to have or to do something，如entitled to his opinion/this fund/travel first class有权发表个人意见/分享这笔基金/坐头等舱）


heritage遗产: 可指任何传给继承人的遗产，特别是世代传承的遗产，inheritance遗产遗传继承: 指传自父母的遗产遗传，或指遗传继承这种动作的事实或方式，patrimony父亲遗产: 指继承自父亲的遗产，或泛指祖传的遗产，birthright天赋权利: 指出生时与生俱来的权利，如生为某国公民或某家族后裔

记忆方法: 1）首字母HIPB是I Have Best Parents首字母<==宝贵的遗产

         2) 练习一下

         3）遗产的意思是继承自父母的或前任的mean something which one receives or is entitled to receive by succession, as from a parent or predecessor.