<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>(Biology)<ul><li>plural: heredi­ties.</li><li>the transmission of genetic characters from parents to offspring: it is dependent upon the segregation and recombination of genes during meiosis and fertilization and results in the genesis of a new individual similar to others of its kind but exhibiting certain variations resulting from the particular mix of genes and their interactions with the environment.</li><li>the genetic characters so transmitted.</li></ul></li></ul>