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hereditary

 - 6 dictionary results

he⋅red⋅i⋅tar⋅y

  [huh-red-i-ter-ee]
Use hereditary in a Sentence
–adjective
1. passing, or capable of passing, naturally from parent to offspring through the genes: Blue eyes are hereditary in our family. Compare congenital.
2. of or pertaining to inheritance or heredity: a hereditary title.
3. existing by reason of feeling, opinions, or prejudices held by predecessors: a hereditary enemy.
4. Law.
a. descending by inheritance.
b. transmitted or transmissible in the line of descent by force of law.
c. holding title, rights, etc., by inheritance: a hereditary proprietor.
5. Mathematics.
a. (of a collection of sets) signifying that each subset of a set in the collection is itself a set in the collection.
b. of or pertaining to a mathematical property, as containing a greatest integer, applicable to every subset of a set that has the property.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < L hērēditārius relating to inheritance, equiv. to hērēdit(ās) inheritance, heredity + -ārius -ary

Related forms:
he⋅red⋅i⋅tar⋅i⋅ly  [hi-red-i-tair-uh-lee, -red-i-ter-] , adverb
he⋅red⋅i⋅tar⋅i⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1, 2. See innate. 3. ancestral, traditional.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hereditary
he·red·i·tar·y   (hə-rěd'ĭ-těr'ē)   
adj.  

  1. Law

    1. Descending from an ancestor to a legal heir; passing down by inheritance.

    2. Having title or possession through inheritance.

    3. Appearing in or characteristic of successive generations.

    4. Derived from or fostered by one's ancestors: a hereditary prejudice.

  2. Transmitted or capable of being transmitted genetically from parent to offspring: a hereditary disease.

    1. Appearing in or characteristic of successive generations.

    2. Derived from or fostered by one's ancestors: a hereditary prejudice.

  4. Ancestral; traditional: their hereditary home. See Synonyms at innate.

  5. Of or relating to heredity or inheritance.


[Middle English, from Latin hērēditārius, from hērēditās, inheritance; see heredity.]
he·red'i·tar'i·ly (-târ'ə-lē) adv., he·red'i·tar'i·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

hereditary

A descriptive term for conditions capable of being transmitted from parent to offspring through the genes. The term hereditary is applied to diseases such as hemophilia and characteristics such as the tendency toward baldness that pass from parents to children.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: he·red·i·tary
Pronunciation: h&-'re-d&-"ter-E
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin hereditarius, from hereditas inheritance, from hered- heres heir
1 : received or passing by inheritance or required to pass by inheritance <hereditary shares>
2 : having ownership or possession through inheritance hereditary chief>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: he·red·i·tary
Pronunciation: h&-'red-&-"ter-E
Function: adjective
1 : genetically transmitted ortransmittable from parent to offspring —compare ACQUIRED 2, CONGENITAL 2, FAMILIAL
2 : of or relating to inheritance or heredity —he·red·i·tar·i·ly /-"red-&-'ter-&-lE/ adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

hereditary he·red·i·tar·y (hə-rěd'ĭ-těr'ē)
adj.
Transmitted or capable of being transmitted genetically from parent to offspring.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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