Definition of: hereditary

(hə·red′ə·ter′ē) adjective
1. Law Passing, capable of passing, or that must necessarily pass by inheritance, or from an ancestor, to an heir; deriving by inheritance.
2. Passing naturally from parent to child.
3. Biol. Transmitted or transmissible directly from a plant or animal to its offspring: distinguished from congenital.
4. Endowed with certain qualities derived from an ancestor.
5. Of or pertaining to heredity or inheritance. [<L hereditarius <hereditas. See HEREDITY.]
—he·red′i·tar′i·ly adverb
—he·red′i·tar′i·ness noun