Site Map | FAQ

• Editor's Favorites
  • Answerplease: A new Q & A site
  • Black History Month
  • Valentine's Day
  • 2011 Year in Review
  • Campaign 2012
  • Country Profiles
  • Most Populous Cities of the World
  • Holidays in America
  • 50 States
  • Conversion Calculator
  • Color Psychology
  • Top 50 U.S. Cities
  • Infoplease's Facebook page
  • Follow Infoplease on Twitter

 

Dictionary

he•red•i•ty

Pronunciation: (hu-red'i-tē), [key]
—n.,
—pl. -ties. Biol.
1. the transmission of genetic characters from parents to offspring: it is dependent upon the segregation and recombination of genes during meiosis and fertilization and results in the genesis of a new individual similar to others of its kind but exhibiting certain variations resulting from the particular mix of genes and their interactions with the environment.
2. the genetic characters so transmitted. Cf. congenital.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

hereditary

Hereford

• • Cite
  • Print
  • Email
  • Bookmark
    • Add bookmark
    • Add to del.icio.us
    • Digg It!
    • Add to Reddit

Related Content Daily Word Quiz: polymath Analogy of the Day: Today's Analogy Spelling Bee: Today's Spelling Bee Kids' Word Quiz: resilient Crossword: Crossword Puzzle Guide Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language

Find definitions for: