he ‧ red ‧ i ‧ ty /həˈredəti, hɪˈredəti/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: hérédité , from Latin hereditas , from heres ; ⇨ ↑ heir ]
the process by which mental and physical qualities are passed from a parent to a child before the child is born ⇨ genetics