In this guide, we’ll explore the definition of hereditary, the origin of the word, synonyms, antonyms, and an explanation of how to use it.
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Kevin
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January 14, 2022
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Is our understanding of language hereditary? Without knowing what hereditary means, it’s hard to answer that question. Hereditary has a definition, origin, and examples of how to use hereditary in conversation, so let’s explore the word hereditary.
What Is the Definition of Hereditary?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, hereditary is an adjective. As an adjective, hereditary has three definitions.
- Relating to heredity or inheritance; it is genetically transmittable or capable of being passed genetically from parent to offspring.
Example: The hereditary disease came from her mother’s side of the family. - Passed down from one generation to the next; being possessed because of birth; transmissible tradition.
Genetics is not without hereditary prejudice. - By law: capable of being inherited; descending to a legal heir from an ancestor; having possession through inheritance.
Example: The hereditary crown has been in their family for centuries.
According to the English dictionary, hereditary is pronounced he-red-I-tar-y, and it sounds like həˈredəˌterē.
What Is the Origin of Hereditary?
Etymology is the study of the origin of words. When talking about a word like hereditary, it seems fitting to look back through its history. Word parts of the words we use today are like the hereditary elements of languages passed down through the years.
The word hereditary is a late Middle English word. It comes from the late 18th-century word heredity and the Latin hērēditārius. Latin hereditarius comes from Latin hereditas. Latin hērēditās inheritance is as far back as we can trace the word.
We can also examine elements of the word and their meanings. Here means toward this place, and Ry means a place.
How Do We Use the Word Hereditary?
Hereditary in Biology
In biology, something is hereditary when it can be passed through genes from parents to their offspring. This occurs in both sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction.
Biological inheritance refers to how DNA works and the basic principle of genetics. It’s possible for a trait the parents didn’t have to show up in their children that come from ancestors in their family tree, but typically, the genetic information of parents and offspring has a lot in common.
This is because the process of natural selection prefers better-adapted organisms, including cells. Genetics is a fascinating subject. The passing of traits through DNA can lead to recurring familial traits like:
- Baldness
- Blue eyes
- Inherited disease
It’s interesting to see what genetic information of their parents’ cells the offspring cells will take. When we study heredity, we can see how family members can possess so many of the same characteristics.
Genetics and hereditary traits work with plants too. We use plant hybridization to combine trains and genes as plants reproduce.
Gregor Mendel was the first to identify these patterns formed organisms that produce sexually. His theory on biological inheritance is called Mendelian inheritance in his honor, and it is the base theory that we have learned the differences between dominant and recessive genes.
The father of genetics came up with Mendel’s Laws of Heredity, and they are:
- The Law of Segregation
- The Law of Independent Assortment
- The Law of Dominance
Since Mendel, we still research genetics—the study of heredity—to help us answer questions about our bodies and their hereditary characteristics. We may be able to solve problems like a tendency towards a disorder, variation of chromosomes, and more.
It’s vital that we continue to study genotype, a person’s collection of genes, and phenotype, a person’s genotype’s complex interactions with the environment.
Hereditary in Inheritance and Royalty
The term hereditary can also refer to the passing of title, right, or honor. When a person’s death occurs, their descendant is legally granted their inheritance. Imagine inheriting a crown instead of patterned baldness. Unfortunately, in these situations, the new ruler may find themselves with a hereditary enemy.
Hereditary rule can trace back to Norman times.
The idea of royal nobility is the hereditary right given by the rules of descent. Traditionally, this was traced through either the lineage of the male parent (patrilineal) or through the female parent (matrilineal).
Hereditary rulers chosen due to a person’s given relation to a previous ruler could give a child all the force of law granted to their predecessors as in a hereditary monarchy. The heir is a hereditary proprietor. It’s funny how much the line of descent affects our history books.
Hereditary in Mathematics
In mathematics, the hereditary property is that the mathematical property of an object is applied to the subset of a set of numbers or coordinates. The property of the greatest integer would apply to the entire collection of sets.
In legal matters, the legal rules regarding making property hereditary are dictated by a person’s last will and testament carried out at the time of the person’s death.
What Are the Synonyms for Hereditary?
Synonyms help us express the same meaning or idea without becoming redundant. Here are some synonyms for the word hereditary.
- Genetic
- Congenital
- Inborn
- Innate
- Heritable
- Inherent
- Native
- Natural
Finding the right synonym for hereditary will depend on the structure of your sentence and your intended message.
What Are the Antonyms for Hereditary?
Antonyms are how we succinctly express the opposite meaning of a word.
Sometimes it’s very easy to find a lot of words that have the same meaning, and at the same time, it can be difficult to find very many words that portray the opposite meaning. Hereditary is one of those words.
Here are the antonyms for hereditary.
- Nonhereditary
- Acquired
- Won
- Conferred
To express the opposite meaning of hereditary, it may be necessary to use more words.
Examples of Hereditary
- Retinitis pigmentosa is a hereditary eye disease.
- The crown has always been hereditary in our country.
- Do you think intelligence is hereditary?
- Hemophilia is a hereditary disease.
- His ancestral home is hereditary.
- When they examined Peter’s body in the movie, the hereditary mysteries could finally be solved.
- Charlie is so lucky that baldness doesn’t seem to be hereditary in his family.
- His ancestral lore was hereditary.
Now you know what hereditary means and how to use it!
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