Hereditability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The potential for characteristics to be transmitted genetically through generations is referred to as the quality of passing traits down
2. It denotes the ability of certain traits to be inherited, reflecting their genetic transmission across generations
3. The quality that enables traits or characteristics to be transmitted from parents to offspring through genes

Etymology: Hereditability is a plain formation rather than a story with a famous coiner: it is "heritable" plus the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. "Heritable" comes from "heritage" with the suffix "-able," meaning capable of being passed on. "Heritage" itself reached English through Old French "eritage," from Latin "hereditas," the property and status an heir receives. The root is Latin "heres," meaning heir. The word's own sense is narrower than its parts suggest. Hereditability has become a technical term in genetics and statistics, where it measures how much of the variation in a trait within a population can be attributed to genetic differences rather than environment. That makes it a measure of proportion, not a simple yes or no about whether a trait runs in families.

Synonyms: inheritability, transmissibility, genetic transmissibility, heritable nature, lineal descent