heritable

IPA/ˈherɪtəbl/
KK[hˈɛrətəbəl]IPA/ˈherɪtəbl/

heritable — adjective

  • heritablepositive
  • more heritablecomparative
  • most heritablesuperlative

1. describes a medical condition or physical quality that is transmitted from one g

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a medical condition or physical quality that is transmitted from one generation to the next through the genetic material inside cells.

Example

The doctor told Hassan's family their son's condition was heritable and could affect other children.

heritable condition — commonly used with diseases and medical disorders

Takeshi's blue eyes are a heritable trait that runs in his Japanese family.

heritable trait — physical qualities passed through genes

Common collocations
  • heritable disease
  • heritable trait
  • heritable characteristic
  • heritable condition
  • heritable form
  • heritable pattern
Synonyms
  • hereditary

    more common in everyday language; 'heritable' sounds more technical and is preferred in scientific writing

  • inheritable

    almost identical in meaning but far less frequent; 'heritable' is the standard term in genetics

  • genetic

    broader — covers all gene-related traits, including those that appear without being inherited (mutations)

Antonyms
  • acquired

    describes conditions that develop during a person's lifetime (e.g., from infection or injury), not passed through genes

Common Mistakes

This disease is heritable from your parents.
This disease is heritable.
'heritable' already implies passing from parents to children; adding 'from your parents' is redundant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words relate to genes, but they differ in scope and register. 'Heritable' is the most precise scientific term, used specifically in genetics and medicine to describe traits or diseases that can be passed from one generation to the next. 'Hereditary' is the everyday equivalent — a doctor might tell a patient 'this condition is hereditary' in a consultation, while the same doctor's research paper would say 'a heritable disorder'. 'Inheritable' is a rarer synonym that appears mostly in legal or technical contexts rather than mainstream biology. 'Genetic' is the broadest of the three; it covers everything related to genes, including mutations that appear for the first time in an individual and are not inherited from a parent. For example, most cancers have a genetic component, but only about 5–10% are heritable.

hereditary ↗inheritable ↗genetic ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'hereditare' (to inherit), which comes from 'heres, hered-' (heir). The word passed through French into Middle English. The suffix '-able' was added to form the adjective, giving the sense 'capable of being inherited'.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1