heredity
Meaning
the passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another.
the set of characteristics passed from a parent to offspring via genes.
Structure
Usage
scientists study heredity to understand how traits like eye color are passed down.
the disease is not caused by lifestyle but appears to be a matter of heredity.
mendel's experiments with pea plants laid the foundation for the modern science of heredity.
Etymology
the word heredity traces its lineage directly to the latin term 'hereditas', which means inheritance or condition of being an heir. this latin noun itself derives from 'heres', signifying an heir. the core concept embedded in the ancient root is that of legal succession and the transmission of property or title. over time, as biological understanding developed, the term was adopted into scientific english in the 18th century to describe the natural, biological transmission of traits from parents to offspring, metaphorically extending the idea of inherited legacy from the legal and social realm to the genetic.
Analysis
hered (from latin 'hered-', stem of 'heres' meaning heir, inheritor); ity (from latin '-itas', a suffix forming nouns denoting state or condition).