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
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
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, 23 Oct. 2024
The nucleotide substitution in the HBB gene—producing what’s known as hemoglobin S, in contrast to normal hemoglobin A—is heritable.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Identical twins are slightly closer in their cynicism than fraternal twins, for instance, but the genetic and heritable component seems pretty small.
—Sean Illing, Vox, 16 Sep. 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 23 Dec. 2024.
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
More from Merriam-Webster on heritable
Britannica English: Translation of heritable for Arabic Speakers
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