inheritable
Americanadjective
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capable of being transmitted by heredity from one generation to a later one
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capable of being inherited
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rare capable of inheriting; having the right to inherit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inheritable
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French; see in- 2, heritable
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scientists in Japan have identified a virus that selectively kills males — and it happens to be inheritable, creating generation upon generation of all females.
From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2023
The nation itself held on to the mineral rights of the land, granting each member an inheritable “headright” to the share of the nation’s mineral wealth.
From National Geographic ● Sep. 15, 2023
After decades of research, gene therapies have begun reshaping the treatment of cancers and rare inheritable diseases with medicines that can modify or correct mutations embedded in people’s genetic code.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2022
Natural selection leads to a sudden inheritable change in the genome of the female elk, ensuring female elk with very high fat reserves to effectively carry out pregnancy.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Through domestication and breeding man has modified the original inheritable traits of plants and animals.
From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Robert Ezra Park
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
