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Where does the word "heredity" come from? It comes from Latin hereditas, passing through French before entering English (1530s).
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Where does the word "heredity" come from? It comes from Latin hereditas, passing through French before entering English (1530s).
Heredity’s story begins in Latin: hereditas meant “inheritance.” From 'heres', heir. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as hérédité. Old French 'eredite' meant an inheritance or legacy; Herbert Spencer gave it the biological sense of passing traits from parents to offspring in 1863. It reached English by 1530s as heredity. The biological sense dates from the 1860s. Today, heredity means the passing of traits from parents to offspring.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient hereditas "inheritance", from 'heres', heir.
- Stage 2 · French · 1500s hérédité "inheritance", Old French 'eredite' meant an inheritance or legacy; Herbert Spencer gave it the biological sense of passing traits from parents to offspring in 1863.
- Stage 3 · English · 1530s heredity "inheritance", the biological sense dates from the 1860s.