Etymograph

English

hereditary

Hereditary comes from Latin hērēditārius ‘hereditary, inherited’, from hērēs ‘heir’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- ‘to leave behind, abandon’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰeh₁-‘to leave behind, abandon’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰeh₁ro-‘derelict’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērēs‘heir’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērēditās‘inheritance’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērēditārius‘hereditary, inherited’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hereditarie‘hereditary, inherited’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1985hereditary

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰeh₁-‘to leave behind, abandon’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰeh₁ro-‘derelict’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērēs‘heir’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērēditās‘inheritance’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhērēditārius‘hereditary, inherited’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hereditarie‘hereditary, inherited’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1985hereditary

Earliest quotation: 1985, Urology: “Xanthuria is an hereditary disorder in which there is…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- ‘to leave behind, abandon’

go, gone, inherit, forego, 21 more

through Latin hērēs ‘heir’

heritage, heir, 3 more

Today it means

adj Passed on as an inheritance, by last will or intestate.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- / hereditary

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