heritable

[ her-i-tuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. capable of being inherited; inheritable; hereditary.
2. capable of inheriting.

heritable

/ ˈhɛrɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being inherited; inheritable
2. law capable of inheriting

heritable

/ hĕr′ĭ-tə-bəl /

1. Capable of being passed from one generation to the next through the genes.

Derived Forms

• ˌheritaˈbility, noun
• ˈheritably, adverb

Other Words From

• herit·a·bili·ty noun
• herit·a·bly adverb
• nonher·it·a·bili·ty noun
• non·herit·a·ble adjective
• non·herit·a·bly adverb
• un·herit·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heritable¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, equivalent to herit(er) “to inherit” + -able ( -able ); heir, heredity

Word History and Origins

Origin of heritable¹

C14: from Old French, from heriter to inherit

Example Sentences

Prenatal genome editing sits within the broader spectrum of human genome editing, which ranges from germline, where the changes are heritable, to somatic cell, where the patient’s descendants won’t inherit the changes.

From Salon

Coffee drinking is a heritable habit, and one that carries a certain amount of genetic baggage.

From Science Daily

To say of the settlers — all of them — that “violence had become part of their DNA” is to approach a glib argument about heritable evil.

From New York Times

IVF aims to help couples achieve pregnancy when medical issues or concerns about heritable genetic mutations raise concerns about the health of their prospective offspring.

From Los Angeles Times

In its final third, “Real Americans” raises ethical questions about the research conducted by both May and Nick to edit genes to eliminate heritable diseases.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• genetic
• inborn
• transmitted