heredity
noun/həˈredəti/
/həˈredəti/
[uncountable]- the process by which mental and physical characteristics are passed by parents to their children; these characteristics in a particular person
- the debate over the effects of heredity and environment
Word Originlate 18th cent.: from French hérédité, from Latin hereditas, from heres, hered- ‘heir’.
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heredity