Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology.
Word of the Week: Heritable
How to say it: Heritable(hair-it-ah-bull)
What it means: Something—like a condition or trait—that can be passed on from one generation to another.
Where it comes from:The Frenchheriter, which means “to make an heir.”
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Where you might see or hear it: If you’ve ever been curious about yourgenetic riskfor certain traits, diseases, and even preferences, you are familiar with the concept of something being “hereditary.”
Your doctor may describe heart disease risk as being heritable. They might explain that while you cannot do anything about your DNA, you can make lifestyle changes to support heart health and possibly reduce your risk of developing the condition.
When you might want to use it:Taking a family medical historyis a great preventive step for your health. Together, you can make a list of conditions that “run in your family” (are heritable), which might includediabetes,breast cancer,glaucoma,arthritis, as well as mental health conditions like depression.
What Does It Mean to Be Genetically Predisposed to Disease?
SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster.Definition of heritable.
Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Merriam-Webster.Definition of heritable.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Merriam-Webster.Definition of heritable.
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