he ‧ red ‧ i ‧ ta ‧ ry /həˈredət ə ri, hɪˈredət ə ri $ -teri/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . a quality or illness that is hereditary is passed from a parent to a child before the child is born ⇨ genetic
2 . British English a hereditary position, rank, or title can be passed from an older to a younger person in the same family, usually when the older one dies ⇨ inherit :
a hereditary peer