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heritable
adjective
her·i·ta·ble
ˈher-ə-tə-bəl
ˈhe-rə-
1
: capable of being inherited or of passing by inheritance
2
Synonyms
Examples of heritable in a Sentence
heritable characteristics like skin and eye and hair color
Recent Examples on the Web
Share [Findings] Sets of both fraternal and identical twins exhibit internally similar metacognitive abilities, suggesting that metacognition is environmental rather than heritable.
—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 22 Jan. 2025
Things that, in my opinion, set responsible breeders apart from the irresponsible include heritable disease screening before using an animal in a breeding program.
—
Dr. Devon B. Smith, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
Some research suggests that performance on tests purporting to measure human general intelligence is roughly fifty per cent genetically heritable.
—
Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024
The theory holds that Gregor Mendel's concept of a gene (a discrete heritable trait or phenotype) is the consequence of a change in the text of DNA that alters the function of a protein and, therefore, the phenotype.
—
William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
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Word History
Dictionary Entries Near heritable
Cite this Entry
“Heritable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heritable. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
heritable
adjective
her·i·ta·ble
ˈher-ət-ə-bəl
: capable of being inherited : hereditary
heritable differences in structure
Medical Definition
heritable
adjective
her·i·ta·ble
ˈher-ət-ə-bəl
: hereditary
one of several heritable childhood cancers—
W. K. Cavenee et al.
Legal Definition
heritable
adjective
her·i·ta·ble
ˈher-ə-tə-bəl
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