1
a
: descent in a line from a common progenitor
b
: derivation
the gun's direct lineage is in the 1960s—
Erik Larson
Erik Larson2
: a group of individuals tracing descent from a common ancestor
especially
: such a group of persons whose common ancestor is regarded as its founder
Examples of lineage in a Sentence
Noun (1)
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 on the Web
Jack Guy, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
What has that looked like in practice, sharing the history, sonic lineages, and socio-political context involved in the making of electronic music?
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2025
More fossils will be needed to know if the prehistoric waterwheels grew snap traps to enclose small aquatic invertebrates, like its modern counterparts, but the lineage was already present during a time when the world was warmer and wetter, and mammals were just beginning to get big.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
Sure, go ahead and ask us to believe that John Wick’s lineage stretches back to Beowulf, the Battle of Hastings and the Great Schism.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lineage
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Noun
Previous studies have proven the existence of two lineages, northern Native American and southern Native American, which developed after people first arrived on the continent across an ice bridge from Siberia and started to move south.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
What has that looked like in practice, sharing the history, sonic lineages, and socio-political context involved in the making of electronic music?
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2025
More fossils will be needed to know if the prehistoric waterwheels grew snap traps to enclose small aquatic invertebrates, like its modern counterparts, but the lineage was already present during a time when the world was warmer and wetter, and mammals were just beginning to get big.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
Sure, go ahead and ask us to believe that John Wick’s lineage stretches back to Beowulf, the Battle of Hastings and the Great Schism.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lineage
Cite this Entry
“Lineage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lineage. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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