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Glite Dictionary
🧬 Passing traits by genes 🏠 Able to be inherited
heritability

heritability

1 7.9
How property, titles or rights pass to someone after a person's death
  • noun
  • /ˌhɛrɪtəˈbɪlɪti/
  • Specialized
: heredabilidad
  • Impulsivity (which was subsequently dropped due to insufficient evidence for heritability) included components such as inhibitory control, decision time, sensation-seeking, and persistence.

Examples

  • The heritability of intelligence suggests that genetic factors play a significant role in cognitive abilities.

  • Researchers study the heritability of certain diseases to understand how they can be passed down through families.

  • Understanding the heritability of traits can help scientists predict how characteristics will be inherited in future generations.

Synonyms

inheritability
vsheritability
  • Formal
7.7

Property that can be given to heirs after a person's death

is broader and focuses on property, titles, and legal rights not the transfer method

Surface Forms

heritability singular
heritabilities plural

Morphology

heritability = heritable (transparent) = herit + able + ity

The adjective 'heritable' ('able to be inherited') plus the noun-forming suffix '-ity' straightforwardly yields the noun meaning 'the quality/state of being inheritable' in legal/property contexts.

Etymology

Heritability comes from the same root as inherit and heritage, and is tied to the idea of an 'heir' who receives property or titles from someone before them. So, when used about property or rights, heritability means the quality of being able to be inherited.