genealogy

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noun ge·ne·al·o·gy \ˌjē-nē-ˈä-lə-jē also -ˈa-lə- also ˌje-nē-\

Definition of genealogy

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 1) or older form : pedigree
3 : the study of family ancestral lines
4 : an account of the origin and historical development of something

genealogical

play \ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl, ˌje-nē-\ adjective

genealogically

play \ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē, ˌje-nē-\ adverb

See genealogy defined for English-language learners

See genealogy defined for kids

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 of genealogy from the Web

The miniseries, which traced Haley’s genealogy back to the Gambia, spurred many African Americans to start tracing their own ancestries.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "How African Americans Use DNA Testing to Connect With Their Past", 27 June 2017
Just for funsies, Ancestry.com offered their genealogy services to the cast of Turn: Washington's Spies to determine whether any of the stars had Revolutionary War connections.

— jayme deerwester, USA TODAY, "Odd 'Turn' of events: Actor who plays Hamilton has family link to Aaron Burr", 17 June 2017
Because surnames for former slaves were so fluid and not set on any particular laws or rules, determining a surname during and after slavery is often the most challenging aspect of African-American genealogy.

— The Root, "Tracing Your Roots: Were Slaves’ Surnames Like Brands?", 16 June 2017
Mr. Warner's hobbies included managing his stock portfolio, genealogy, antiques collecting, metal detecting and Civil War history.

— frederick n. rasmussen, baltimoresun.com, "William S. Warner, stockbroker and World War II pilot", 14 June 2017
Mrs. Dockens delved into her family’s genealogy and the history of the church.

— bonnie l. cook, Philly.com, "Katharine M. Dockens, 95, educator and descendant of A.M.E. Church founder", 13 June 2017
Julie is the president of a national genealogy organization and a board member for the Patrons of the Prado in Balboa Park.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Theaters applaud contributions of Carlsbad couple", 6 June 2017
To that extent, the arguments in the trans bathroom controversy have a long genealogy, reflecting changing conceptions of normal bodies and behavior.

— j.y. chua, The Atlantic, "Bathing in Controversy", 2 June 2017
Genealogy workshop SAT Using DNA testing for family history research, 2 p.m. Saturday, Everett Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave., Everett (425-257-8000).

— madeline mckenzie, The Seattle Times, "Community calendar: festivals, fairs and more", 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genealogy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of genealogy

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year