Hereditary

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Hereditary

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

adjective

Pronunciation

heh-RED-ih-tree  /hɪˈrɛdɪt(ə)ri/

Definition

Passed down through families by genetic inheritance; relating to characteristics, conditions, or titles that are transmitted from parent to child; relating to heredity or the study of genetic inheritance.

Plain meaning

Hereditary means passed down through families — a hereditary condition is one caused by genes inherited from parents; a hereditary title is one passed to children. The word covers both genetic inheritance of traits and social inheritance of status, titles, and property.

Register

Formal and neutral. Hereditary is used in medical, scientific, legal, and political contexts. Hereditary peerage is standard constitutional terminology. Hereditary condition is standard medical terminology. The word carries no particular emotional valence — it is descriptive.