hereditary
nounEtymology Inherited from Middle English hereditarie, from Latin hērēditārius, from hērēditās (“inheritance”), from hērēs (“heir”).
1
A hereditary ruler; a hereditary peer in the House of Lords.
- Related terms
- congenital
hereditary
adjUK /həˈɹɛdɪt(ə)ɹi/ · US /həˈɹɛdɪˌtɛɹi/
Etymology Inherited from Middle English hereditarie, from Latin hērēditārius, from hērēditās (“inheritance”), from hērēs (“heir”).
1
Passed on as an inheritance, by last will or intestate.
2
Of a title, honor or right: legally granted to somebody's descendant after that person's death.
- Duke is a hereditary title which was created in Norman times.
3
Of a person: holding a legally hereditary title or rank.
- hereditary rulers
4
Of a disease or trait: passed from a parent to offspring in the genes.
- Haemophilia is hereditary in his family.
- Xanthuria is an hereditary disorder in which there is an absence of the enzyme xanthine oxidase which interferes with the metabolic breakdown of purines, leading to an increased excretion of xanthine in the urine and to formation of stones.1985, Urology, volume 2, page 12:
5
Mathematics, Sciences Of a ring: such that all submodules of projective modules over the ring are also projective.
6
Graph theory, Mathematics, Sciences Of a property of graphs: such that if G has the property, so must every induced subgraph of G.
- Synonyms
- inhereditary
- Antonyms
- nonhereditary
- Derived terms
- Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy, hereditarian, hereditarily, hereditariness, hereditary disease, hereditary elliptocytosis, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, hereditary mechanics, hereditary peer, Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, nonhereditary, semihereditary, unhereditary
- Related terms
- heir