genealogy

noun

ge·ne·al·o·gy | \ˌjē-nē-ˈä-lə-jē

also -ˈa-lə- also ˌje-nē-

plural genealogies

Definition of genealogy

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

Other Words from genealogy Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about genealogy

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Other Words from genealogy

genealogical \ ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl ,

ˌje-nē- \ adjective

genealogically \ ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē ,

ˌje-nē- \ adverb

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

Besides productions, the center offers genealogy services. — Laura A. Hobson, Cincinnati.com, "Columbia Tusculum center celebrates Irish arts, culture," 26 June 2018 The sheriff’s office said Talbott is the first murder suspect to be arrested using results from Parabon’s genetic genealogy service, which became generally available less than two weeks ago. — Robert Gearty, Fox News, "DNA leads to arrest in Washington cold-case murder of young couple," 20 May 2018 This open-source system allowed investigators to avoid the need for a warrant, which genealogy services typically demand before handing over genetic information. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "How the Supreme Court Could Rewrite the Rules for DNA Searches," 30 Apr. 2018 The largest genealogy services, 23andme and Ancestry.com, conduct DNA tests for paying customers but largely shield their findings from other parties. — Paige St. John, latimes.com, "Cracking the Golden State Killer case: Clever detective work or a violation of privacy?," 28 Apr. 2018 This isn’t the first time an arrest in a cold case was made after DNA was submitted to a genealogy site. — Alexia Fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Wedding DJ Arrested for the Brutal 1992 Rape and Murder of School Teacher Christy Mirack," 26 June 2018 Late last year, law enforcement officials had uploaded the suspect’s DNA profile, culled from the scene of a 1980 double murder in Ventura County, to a website dedicated to genealogy. — Dan Barry, Tim Arango And Richard A. Oppel Jr., New York Times, "With Taunts and Guile, the Golden State Killer Left a Trail of Horror," 28 Apr. 2018 Late last year, law enforcement officials had uploaded the suspect's DNA profile, culled from the scene of a 1980 double murder in Ventura County, to a website dedicated to genealogy. — Anchorage Daily News, "With taunts and guile, the Golden State Killer left a trail of horror," 28 Apr. 2018 Late last year, law enforcement officials had uploaded the suspect’s DNA profile, culled from the scene of a 1980 double murder in Ventura County, to a website dedicated to genealogy. — Dan Barry, BostonGlobe.com, "With taunts and guile, the Golden State killer left a trail of horror," 28 Apr. 2018

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.