inherited

[in-her-i-tid]

adjective

1. received from or as if from one’s predecessors.

   Their wealth is from inherited properties, mostly through the estate of their mother’s parents.

   For the novelist Henry James, history, tradition, precedence, and established forms constituted the inherited wisdom of civilization.

2. received through genetic transmission.

   the family’s inherited trait of straight blond hair;

   kidney problems symptomatic of an inherited disorder.

3. Baseball.,  (of a base runner) allowed on base by a previous pitcher.

   The unlucky reliever balked, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, allowed an inherited runner to score, and got only one out.

Other Word Forms

• half-inherited adjective
• noninherited adjective
• quasi-inherited adjective
• uninherited adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of inherited¹

First recorded in 1795–1800; inherit ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

"We inherited this mess from the previous government, but we've listened to carers, commissioned an independent review, and are now making good for those affected," McFadden said.

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Over the years — well before his death last year — my father gave me her own jewelry as well as jewelry she herself had inherited.

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Scientists have identified four primary genes tied to inherited forms of Alzheimer's.

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A similar method has been used in other gene therapies, such as the treatment for another rare inherited condition, MLD.

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After exposure to the pulse, the hatchlings danced less often, providing evidence that they use a feel-based magnetic sense to determine their location on their inherited map rather than relying on vision.

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