| Noun | 1. | hereditary pattern - (genetics) attributes acquired via biological heredity from the parents genetic endowment, heredity - the total of inherited attributes ancestry, filiation, lineage, derivation - inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline gene linkage, linkage - (genetics) traits that tend to be inherited together as a consequence of an association between their genes; all of the genes of a given chromosome are linked (where one goes they all go) X-linked dominant inheritance - hereditary pattern in which a dominant gene on the X chromosome causes a characteristic to be manifested in the offspring X-linked recessive inheritance - hereditary pattern in which a recessive gene on the X chromosome results in the manifestation of characteristics in male offspring and a carrier state in female offspring genetic science, genetics - the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms |