What does hereditability mean?
Hereditability means the extent to which a trait can be passed from parents to offspring or, more technically, the proportion of variation observed for a trait within a population that is attributable to genetic differences. The word is especially common in genetics and related fields, where researchers estimate heritability for characteristics such as height, disease susceptibility, or aspects of personality and behaviour. Such estimates describe variation among people in a particular population under particular conditions; they do not indicate how much of an individual trait is “genetic” in isolation. A trait can therefore have high heritability while still being affected by the environment, and estimates from different populations or circumstances may differ. In broader usage, hereditability simply denotes the quality of being inheritable. It is a useful term because it distinguishes the strength of genetic influence on variation from the broader process of heredity itself.
nounThe degree to which a characteristic can be inherited, especially the proportion of variation in a trait within a population that can be attributed to genetic differences. More broadly, it means the quality of being inheritable.
- The degree to which a characteristic or condition can be inherited, especially the proportion of variation in a population attributable to genetic differences.
"The researchers found that the estimated heritability of the condition was higher in one population than in another."
"Twin studies are often used to estimate the heritability of complex traits such as anxiety."
"The report discusses the heritability of the disorder without claiming that its course is entirely determined by genes."
The plural is rare in general use but may appear in formal or technical writing when comparing estimates for several traits or populations.
"The authors caution that heritabilities measured in different populations are not directly comparable."
Hereditability is not the same as inevitability: even a highly heritable trait can be changed by the environment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of hereditability
Hereditability belongs to an English word family built on Latin haereditas, meaning “an inheritance,” and the related verb haereditare, “to inherit.” The idea reached English through Anglo-French and Old French forms connected with inheritance, and the modern word was developed with the English suffix -ity in a pattern parallel to inheritability. Related English words include inherit, inheritance, heritage, and heritable.
How hereditability is actually used
Chiefly formal and technical, especially in genetics, biology, psychology, and quantitative research. Estimates of heritability apply to a particular trait and population and do not by themselves show that a trait is fixed, universal, or unaffected by environmental conditions.
Easily confused with hereditability
This is an alternative spelling or closely related form of the same word and is used with essentially the same meaning in genetics.
Heredity refers to the transmission of traits from parents to offspring, whereas heritability refers to how strongly genetic variation accounts for differences within a population.
Heritable is an adjective describing something capable of being passed down, while hereditability is a noun denoting the degree to which something can be inherited.