1. (n.) The act or state of inheriting; as, the inheritance of an estate; the inheritance of mental or physical qualities.

2. (n.) That which is or may be inherited; that which is derived by an heir from an ancestor or other person; a heritage; a possession which passes by descent.

3. (n.) A permanent or valuable possession or blessing, esp. one received by gift or without purchase; a benefaction.

4. (n.) Possession; ownership; acquisition.

5. (n.) Transmission and reception by animal or plant generation.

6. (n.) A perpetual or continuing right which a man and his heirs have to an estate; an estate which a man has by descent as heir to another, or which he may transmit to another as his heir; an estate derived from an ancestor to an heir in course of law.

Altmann theory DNA De Vries theory Galtonian theory Mendelianism Mendelism RNA Verworn theory Weismann theory Weismannism Wiesner theory allele allelomorph attested copy bequeathal bequest birth birthright borough-English character chromatid chromatin chromosome codicil coheirship coparcenary determinant determiner devise diathesis endowment entail eugenics factor gavelkind gene genesiology genetic code genetics heirloom heirship hereditability hereditament heredity heritability heritable heritage heritance inborn capacity incorporeal hereditament inheritability law of succession legacy line of succession matrocliny mode of succession patrimony patrocliny pharmacogenetics postremogeniture primogeniture probate property recessive character replication reversion succession testament ultimogeniture will