Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

heredity

[huh-red-i-tee]

noun, plural -ties. Biology.

the transmission of genetic characters from parents to offspring: it is dependent upon the segregation and recombination of genes during meiosis and fertilization and results in the genesis of a new individual similar to others of its kind but exhibiting certain variations resulting from the particular mix of genes and their interactions with the environment.

the genetic characters so transmitted.

Compare congenital.

Origin:
1530–40; < Middle French heredite < Latin hērēditāt- (stem of hērēditās) inheritance, equivalent to hērēd- (stem of hērēs) heir + -itāt- -ity

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To heredity

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Heredity is always a great word to know.

So is organ. Does it mean:

to develop to a different adaptive state or condition

a grouping of tissues into a distinct structure, as a heart or kidney in animals or a leaf or stamen in plants, that performs a specialized task

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

Tilley credits heredity for her remarkable hands.

The prince is next in line to the throne by virtue of heredity.

He also explained his data by postulating his two laws of heredity:

EXPAND

Collins

World English Dictionary

heredity (hɪˈrɛdɪtɪ)

—n , pl -ties
1.	the transmission from one generation to another of genetic factors that determine individual characteristics: responsible for the resemblances between parents and offspring
2.	the sum total of the inherited factors or their characteristics in an organism

[C16: from Old French heredite, from Latin hērēditās inheritance; see heir]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

heredity

1540, from M.Fr. hérédité, from L. hereditatem (nom. hereditas) "condition of being an heir," from heres (gen. heredis) "heir," from PIE base *ghe- "to be empty, left behind" (cf. Gk. khera "widow"). Legal sense of "inheritable quality or character" first recorded 1784; the modern

EXPAND

biological sense seems to be found first in 1863, introduced by Herbert Spencer.

COLLAPSE

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

heredity he·red·i·ty (hə-rěd'ĭ-tē)
n.