figurative. Extraction, derivation; something derived, an emanation. Obsolete.

An inherited quality or disposition; individual nature or character; = strain, n.1 8.

figurative. Something abstract which is inherited or handed down, and which is deemed to be valuable.

Inherited character or constitution.

figurative. Any property, quality, or immaterial possession inherited from ancestors or previous generations.

A condition, emotion, etc., passed on by a predecessor. Cf. hereditary, adj. 1b. rare.

Originally U.S. = streak, n.1 6.

Figurative uses developed from sense A. 2. Used for: Inherited constitution, ‘breed’. rare.

a characteristic inherited according to Mendelian laws.