Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hereditary \He*red"i*ta*ry\, a. [L. hereditarius, fr. hereditas
   heirship, inheritance, fr. heres heir: cf. F.
   h['e]r['e]ditaire. See {Heir}.]
   1. Descended, or capable of descending, from an ancestor to
      an heir at law; received or passing by inheritance, or
      that must pass by inheritance; as, an hereditary estate or
      crown.

   2. Transmitted, or capable of being transmitted, as a
      constitutional quality or condition from a parent to a
      child; as, hereditary pride, bravery, disease.

   Syn: Ancestral; patrimonial; inheritable.

Source : WordNet®

hereditary
     adj 1: tending to occur among members of a family usually by
            heredity; "an inherited disease"; "familial traits";
            "genetically transmitted features" [syn: {familial}, {genetic},
             {inherited}, {transmitted}, {transmissible}]
     2: inherited or inheritable by established rules (usually legal
        rules) of descent; "ancestral home"; "ancestral lore";
        "hereditary monarchy"; "patrimonial estate";
        "transmissible tradition" [syn: {ancestral}, {patrimonial},
         {transmissible}]