heritability

1. In psychometrics, a statistical term used to denote the extent of variance of an individual's total score or response that is attributable to a presumed genetic component, in contrast to an acquired component. 2. In genetics, a statistical term used to denote the proportion of phenotypic variance due to variance in genotypes that is genetically determined, denoted by the traditional symbol h². [see heredity]

- h. in the broad sense the proportion of the total phenotypic variance that can be ascribed to genetic factors of any kind (additive, those due to dominance effects, epistasis and hypostasis, and interactions of all kinds).

- h. in the narrow sense the proportion of the total phenotypic variance that can be ascribed to additive genetic variance alone. It reflects the similarity between parent and offspring, and is related to the commercial breeding value.

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her·i·ta·bil·i·ty .her-ət-ə-'bil-ət-ē n, pl -ties

1) the quality or state of being heritable

2) the proportion of observed variation in a particular trait (as intelligence) that can be attributed to inherited genetic factors in contrast to environmental ones

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her·i·ta·bil·i·ty (her″ĭ-tə-bilґĭ-te) 1. the quality of being heritable. 2. a measure of the extent to which a phenotype is influenced by the genotype.