He*red"i*ta*ry (?), a.
[L. hereditarius, fr. hereditas heirship, inheritance,
fr. heres heir: cf. F.
héréditaire. See Heir.]
1. Descended, or capable of descending, from an ancestor to an heir at law; received or passing by
inheritance, or that must pass by inheritance; as, an hereditary estate or crown.
2.
Transmitted, or capable
of being transmitted, as a constitutional quality or condition from a parent to a child; as,
hereditary pride,
bravery, disease.
Syn. -- Ancestral; patrimonial; inheritable.
Hear it pronounced