lineage

play

noun lin·e·age \ ˈli-nē-ij also ˈli-nij \

Definition of lineage

1 a :descent in a line from a common progenitor

b :derivation

the gun's direct lineage is in the 1960s
—Erik Larson

2 :a group of individuals tracing descent from a common ancestor; especially :such a group of persons whose common ancestor is regarded as its founder

See lineage defined for English-language learners

See lineage defined for kids

Examples of lineage in a Sentence

his Italian lineage was very important to him
it is now generally accepted that the lineage of Thomas Jefferson includes black as well as white members

Recent Examples of lineage from the Web

Since the day his father first heard from Thompson, Falk has been in semiregular contact with the Throwin’ Samoan and has gotten to know several other members of WSU’s rich quarterbacking lineage.

— stefanie loh, The Seattle Times, "Luke Falk the latest member of college football’s most unique fraternity: the WSU Quarterbacks Club," 30 Aug. 2017
Gendry's Baratheon lineage could affect Daenerys' or Cersei's claims to the throne, especially if this theory about his birth mother is true.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Joe Dempsie on Game of Thrones’s Most Satisfying Character Return," 14 Aug. 2017
Now, reports Michael Greshko at National Geographic, that baseball-sized skull is giving researchers insight into a little understood period when the human and ape lineages split.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "This Baby Animal May Be the Last Common Ancestor of Humans and Apes," 11 Aug. 2017
The other lineage, our own, makes up the vast majority of living mammal species.

— carl zimmer, New York Times, "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Mammals Took to the Skies," 9 Aug. 2017
So the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles contained the lineage of the Jewish people so these exiles could reclaim their legal family properties.

— loren a. yadon, idahostatesman, "Prayer is powerful but should be used properly," 4 Aug. 2017
But, Selah reminded us, Martin belongs to a tragic, ever-growing lineage of people killed for being brown or black in the wrong place at the wrong time.

— monica uszerowicz, miamiherald, "Miami poet Aja Monet makes us cry — and wants to help others do the same," 22 June 2017
Today’s domestic cats are mainly the product of two lineages, one from southwest Asia and another from Africa, the study found.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Genomics study tells the tail, er, tale of domestic cats," 19 June 2017
From Uber’s very inception, the senior executives were hyper-aggressive and created a lineage of managers who were also hyper-aggressive and in turn hired the same personality of employees.

— nick bilton, The Hive, "Why Uber Might Have to Fire Travis Kalanick," 16 June 2017

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