heritable

[her-i-tuh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of being inherited; inheritable; hereditary.

2. capable of inheriting.

heritable

/ ˈhɛrɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being inherited; inheritable

2. law capable of inheriting

heritable

1. Capable of being passed from one generation to the next through the genes.

Other Word Forms

• heritability noun
• heritably adverb
• nonheritability noun
• nonheritable adjective
• nonheritably adverb
• unheritable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heritable¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, equivalent to herit(er) “to inherit” + -able ( -able ); heir, heredity

Word History and Origins

Origin of heritable¹

C14: from Old French, from heriter to _inherit

Example Sentences

Could disease be the product of heritable genetic variation?

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In fact, molecular biologists believe that neurodivergent conditions arise due to a combination of heritable and environmental factors.

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Prenatal genome editing sits within the broader spectrum of human genome editing, which ranges from germline, where the changes are heritable, to somatic cell, where the patient’s descendants won’t inherit the changes.

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Coffee drinking is a heritable habit, and one that carries a certain amount of genetic baggage.

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To say of the settlers — all of them — that “violence had become part of their DNA” is to approach a glib argument about heritable evil.

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Related Words

• genetic 
• inborn 
• transmitted www.thesaurus.com