1. the quality or state of being capable of being inherited or passed down from parents to offspring through genes
Usage: commonly used in genetics and biology; often used in scientific and academic contexts
2. in genetics, the proportion of variation in a trait within a population that is due to genetic differences rather than environmental factors
Usage: technical term used in behavioral genetics and quantitative genetics; expressed as a percentage or decimal between 0 and 1

Examples

• The heritability of eye color is very high, meaning genetics play a major role in determining this trait.
• Scientists study heritability to understand how much of a characteristic is inherited versus influenced by environment.
• The heritability of intelligence is a complex and debated topic in psychology.
• Researchers calculated the heritability of height by comparing identical and fraternal twins.
• Environmental factors can affect the expression of traits even when heritability is high.
• The heritability of certain diseases helps doctors predict genetic risk in families.