What does nonhereditary mean?
Nonhereditary means that something is not passed on from parents to offspring through inheritance. The term is used especially of physical traits, medical conditions, characteristics, and influences that arise during an individual’s lifetime rather than being transmitted genetically. A nonhereditary feature may be acquired through experience, environment, education, or an external influence, although the word does not necessarily imply that the feature is beneficial or harmless. It can also be used more broadly to mean not based on heredity. The adjective is less common than inherited and hereditary in everyday speech, but it is useful in scientific, medical, and educational writing because it makes the contrast with inherited characteristics explicit. It should not be confused with sporadic, which can imply that a condition occurs irregularly or in isolated cases.
adjectiveNot hereditary; not passed from parents to offspring through inheritance. It may also mean not based on heredity.
- Not inherited or transmissible from parents to offspring.
- Not based on heredity or inherited characteristics.
"The acquired trait was nonhereditary and affected only the individual in whom it developed."
"Many aspects of a person's learned skill are nonhereditary."
"The researchers were careful to distinguish environmental effects from nonhereditary biological influences."
Not everything we pass on is inherited: some traits are acquired, shaped by experience, and leave no genetic legacy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nonhereditary come from?
The word was formed in the 19th century from the prefix non-, meaning “not,” and hereditary, from Latin haereditarius, meaning “inherited.” The underlying Latin root haereditas referred to inheritance or property received from an ancestor. The same root also appears in English words such as heredity and heritable.
Related word forms
How nonhereditary is actually used
Most often used in technical, scientific, or educational contexts. In discussions of biology and medicine, it is often contrasted with hereditary conditions and traits.
Easily confused with nonhereditary
Hereditary describes a trait that can be inherited from parents to offspring, whereas nonhereditary describes one that cannot.