heredity
noun
he·red·i·ty
| \ hÉ-Ëre-dÉ-tÄ
\
\
Definition of heredity
1a
: inheritance
b
: tradition
2a
: the sum of the characteristics and potentialities genetically derived from one's ancestors
b
: the transmission of such qualities from ancestor to descendant through the genes
Examples of heredity in a Sentence
Heredity plays no part in the disease.
Recent Examples on the Web
Darlington researched the ways that chromosomes influenced heredity, which eventually grew into an interest in eugenics, particularly the role of race in the inheritance of intelligence. — Leila Mcneill, Smithsonian, "The Pioneering Female Botanist Who Sweetened a Nation and Saved a Valley," 1 Aug. 2019 This would be kind of heredity thatâs beyond genes. — Quanta Magazine, "Scientists Seek to Update Evolution," 22 Nov. 2016 In Mountcashelâs time, the popular understanding of heredity didnât extend much beyond the theory that men planted seeds in the wombs of women, where they were nurtured. — Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, "Our Twisted DNA," 7 Mar. 2019 Even Riverdale's creator has teased the significance of the twins' heredity on Twitter. — Hanna Lustig, Teen Vogue, "The Best "Riverdale" Season 3 Fan Theories, According to Reddit," 1 Oct. 2018 Zimmer does a deep dive into the question of heredity, exploring everything from how genetic ancestry works to the thorny question of how race is defined, biologically. — New York Times, "9 New Books We Recommend This Week," 21 June 2018 At the dawn of the 20th century, scientists came to limit the word heredity to genes. — Jennifer Raff, New York Times, "In an Age of Gene Editing and Surrogacy, What Does Heredity Mean?," 31 May 2018 Divided by class and upbringing, yet remarkably similar in their tastes and proclivities, the brothers were like a case study in heredity versus environment. — J.r. Jones, Chicago Reader, "Triplets ripped from family in a Nazi-like experiment, probed in Three Identical Strangers," 5 July 2018 The filmmakersâ sensible conclusion is that identity is the result of a complicated competition between heredity and environment, and that trying to fix the outcome is naïve arrogance at best and cruelty at worst. — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "When triplets are separated â then reunited," 4 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heredity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for heredity
heredity
noun
English Language Learners Definition of heredity
formal
: the natural process by which physical and mental qualities are passed from a parent to a child
See the full definition for heredity in the English Language Learners Dictionary
heredity
noun
he·red·i·ty
| \ hÉ-Ëre-dÉ-tÄ
\
\
plural heredities
Kids Definition of heredity
: the passing on of characteristics (as the color of the eyes or hair) from parents to offspring
heredity
noun
he·red·i·ty
| \ hÉ-Ëred-Ét-Ä
\
\
plural heredities
Medical Definition of heredity
1
: the sum of the qualities and potentialities genetically derived from one's ancestors
2
: the transmission of traits from ancestor to descendant through the molecular mechanism lying primarily in the DNA or RNA of the genes â compare meiosis
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