heredity
/həˈredəti/ (bre, ipa) · /həˈredəti/ (ame, ipa) · /hə-ˈre-də-tē/ (ame, mw)
heredity — noun
1. the biological way that features like eye colour, height, or risk of certain ill
the biological way that features like eye colour, height, or risk of certain illnesses move down to a child from their mother and father, carried by tiny units called genes.
Dario's biology teacher explained how heredity decides whether a child has brown eyes or blue.
heredity decides X — using heredity as the agent of a trait outcome
Scientists study heredity to understand why some diseases run in families across many generations.
study heredity to understand X — typical academic-purpose collocation
Mizuki wondered if her musical talent came from heredity or from years of daily practice.
The role of heredity in shaping personality is still debated among researchers.
Mira learned in class that heredity passes traits like blood type from one generation to the next.
- inheritance
more general; can be used for both biological and non-biological transmission (e.g. money, property).
- genetics
the scientific field studying heredity; not the process itself.
- environment
the non-genetic factors that also shape a person (upbringing, surroundings).
文法句型
heredity (as uncountable subject of biological discussion)
用法筆記
Uncountable in standard scientific use — say 'the role of heredity', not 'a heredity' or 'heredities'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the process, while sense 2 names the set of traits a particular person inherits.
常見錯誤
2. the full set of physical and mental qualities a person actually receives from th
the full set of physical and mental qualities a person actually receives from their ancestors — for example, a tendency toward tall stature or strong eyesight.
Jabari believed his heredity gave him both his father's height and his grandmother's quick temper.
possessive: one's heredity — naming the inherited package
Doctors examined Sana's heredity before recommending which screening tests she should take.
examine someone's heredity — medical-history framing
Élise blamed her stubborn streak on her heredity rather than her upbringing.
Ezra's heredity included a rare blood disorder that had appeared in three earlier generations of the family.
- genetic makeup
more modern and concrete; refers to the actual genes someone carries.
- lineage
emphasises the line of ancestors rather than the inherited traits themselves.
文法句型
possessive + heredity
用法筆記
Formal and noticeably less common than sense 1; everyday speakers usually say 'genes' or 'family history' instead. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the abstract process for everyone, while sense 2 is one specific person's inherited bundle.