heredity
/həˈredəti/ (bre, ipa) · /həˈredəti/ (ame, ipa) · /hə-ˈre-də-tē/ (ame, mw)
heredity — 名詞
1. the biological way that features like eye colour, height, or risk of certain ill
遺傳
親代將特徵透過基因傳給後代的過程
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.
Dario 的生物老師解釋了遺傳如何決定小孩是棕眼還是藍眼。
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.
科學家研究遺傳，以了解為什麼某些疾病會在家族中代代相傳。
study heredity to understand X — typical academic-purpose collocation
Mizuki wondered if her musical talent came from heredity or from years of daily practice.
Mizuki 想知道她的音樂天賦是來自遺傳，還是來自多年每天的練習。
The role of heredity in shaping personality is still debated among researchers.
遺傳在塑造個性中所扮演的角色，研究者之間仍有爭論。
Mira learned in class that heredity passes traits like blood type from one generation to the next.
Mira 在課堂上學到，遺傳會把血型這類特徵從一代傳給下一代。
- 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
遺傳特質
個人從祖先實際繼承的身心特質總和
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.
Jabari 相信他的遺傳特質既給了他父親的身高，也給了他祖母的急脾氣。
possessive: one's heredity — naming the inherited package
Doctors examined Sana's heredity before recommending which screening tests she should take.
醫生在建議 Sana 該做哪些篩檢之前，先檢視了她的遺傳特質。
examine someone's heredity — medical-history framing
Élise blamed her stubborn streak on her heredity rather than her upbringing.
Élise 把她固執的個性怪在自己的遺傳特質上，而不是後天教養。
Ezra's heredity included a rare blood disorder that had appeared in three earlier generations of the family.
Ezra 的遺傳特質包括一種罕見的血液疾病，這在家族前三代都曾出現。
- 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.