inheritable

adjective

in·​her·​it·​able in-ˈher-ə-tə-bəl How to pronounce inheritable (audio)
-ˈhe-rə-
1
: capable of being inherited : transmissible
an inheritable title
2
: capable of taking by inheritance
the eldest son is inheritable to the crown
inheritability noun
inheritableness noun

Examples of inheritable in a Sentence

eye color is an inheritable trait
Recent Examples on the Web This would especially affect people who have inheritable genetic mutations in their family, Dr. Ryniec notes. Maressa Brown, Parents, 21 Feb. 2024 Funding for research for sickle cell disease is significantly less than the funding for other inheritable childhood diseases. Janice Blanchard, Scientific American, 18 Dec. 2023 To confirm the male-killer was actually infectious and inheritable, Dr. Shintani needed to juice some tobacco moths. Elizabeth Anne Brown, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2023 Only female mosquitoes can spread malaria, and so researchers have used CRISPR to successfully create gene drives—making inheritable edits to their genes—that cause females to become sterile or skew them toward producing mostly male offspring. Bill Gates, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2018 According to the new genetic analysis performed at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, Neanderthal DNA is partly to blame for Dupuytren’s, which is genetically inheritable. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2023 The repair, reported in August in Nature, corrected an inheritable heart condition, passed down by the embryo’s father, the study’s lone sperm donor. Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 28 Dec. 2017 After discovering that some sheep naturally produce less methane than others, AgResearch headquartered in Hamilton bred sheep with this inheritable trait with one another and found that the lowest emitting sheep produced close to 13% less methane than the highest emitters. Reuters, NBC News, 11 Oct. 2022 But research presented at the event showed scientists have honed their gene-editing skills over the pastfive years and can now effectively treat some inheritable diseases. Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inheritable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enheritable, inheritable "having right of inheritance, capable of being inherited," borrowed from Anglo-French enheritable, from enheriter "to give (a person) right of inheritance, inherit" + -able -able

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of inheritable was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near inheritable

Cite this Entry

“Inheritable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inheritable. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

inheritable

adjective
in·​her·​it·​able in-ˈher-ət-ə-bəl How to pronounce inheritable (audio)
: capable of being transmitted from parent to offspring genetically
inheritability noun
plural inheritabilities

Legal Definition

inheritable

adjective
in·​her·​it·​able in-ˈher-i-tə-bəl How to pronounce inheritable (audio)
1
: capable of being inherited
2
: capable of taking by inheritance
inheritability noun
inheritableness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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