1. The transfer of the characteristics of a class in object-oriented programming to other classes derived from it. For example, if "vegetable" is a class, the classes "legume" and "root" can be derived from it, and each will inherit the properties of the "vegetable" class: name, growing season, and so on. See also class, object-oriented programming.
2. The transfer of certain properties, such as open files, from a parent program or process to another program or process that the parent causes to run. See also child.