genealogy

noun

ge·​ne·​al·​o·​gy ˌjē-nē-ˈä-lə-jē 

also

-ˈa-lə- 

 also  ˌje-nē-

plural genealogies

1

: an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms

2

: regular descent of a person, family, or group of organisms from a progenitor (see progenitor sense 1) or older form : pedigree

3

: the study of family ancestral lines

4

: an account of the origin and historical development of something

genealogical

ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

ˌje-nē-

adjective

genealogically

ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

ˌje-nē-

adverb

Synonyms

• ancestry
• birth
• blood
• bloodline
• breeding
• descent
• extraction
• family tree
• line
• lineage
• origin
• parentage
• pedigree
• stock
• strain

Examples of genealogy in a Sentence

They've been researching their genealogies.

has a distinguished genealogy that traces back to William the Conqueror

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Today, the genealogy company known as Ancestry has discovered that Swift may have inherited her love of words. —Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

Investigators with the Winona County Sheriff’s Office have been working with a forensic genealogy company to identify the infant and her parents. —Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 24 Mar. 2024

The second suspect, Donald Willard, 74, was identified using genetic genealogy and traditional investigative techniques, Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad announced Monday. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024

Donald Willard was identified using forensic genetic genealogy and traditional investigative methods in the murder of Pamela Lynn Conyers, 16, in 1970, Anne Arundel County police said in a statement Monday. —Katherine Itoh, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2024

Detectives then used forensic genetic genealogy, with the assistance of Parabon NanoLabs and the Virginia State Police's Unsolved Violent Crimes and Cold Cases Analytical Support Team, to identify the family name of a possible suspect. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024

Deputies said students from Ramapo College’s IGG program will be investigating the case using investigative genetic genealogy. —Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024

Then in 2021, investigators began using genetic genealogy, which ultimately led to a break in the case, Phoenix police said Monday, according to NBC. —Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024

For a while, one popular genealogy site instructed anyone who found high ROH to contact Moore. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English genealogie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin genealogia, from Greek, from genea race, family + -logia -logy; akin to Greek genos race

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

genealogy

noun

ge·​ne·​al·​o·​gy ˌjē-nē-ˈäl-ə-jē  ˌjen-ē- 

-ˈal-

plural genealogies

1

: the line of ancestors of a person or family or a history of such a line of ancestors

2

: the study of family lines of ancestors

genealogical

ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

ˌjen-ē-

adjective

genealogically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

genealogist

-ˈäl-ə-jəst

-ˈal-

noun