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
- inheritability noun
- inheritableness noun
- inheritably adverb
- noninheritability noun
- noninheritable adjective
- noninheritableness noun
- uninheritability noun
- uninheritable adjective
Etymology
Origin of inheritable
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French; 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
Sudden, inheritable changes were naturally selected, which included the fight or flight behavior.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Hair-Shape.—Again, straight and curly hair seem to be distinct inheritable characters.
From Being Well-Born An Introduction to Eugenics by Guyer, Michael F.
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.