lineage

1 of 2

noun (1)

lin·​e·​age ˈli-nē-ij 

also ˈli-nij

1

a

: descent in a line from a common progenitor

b

: derivation

… the brand's lineage as a leather goods company.

—Colleen Barry

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

lineage

2 of 2

noun (2)

line·​age

less common spelling of linage

: the number of lines of printed or written matter

Synonyms of lineage

Noun (1)

• ancestry
• pedigree
• origin
• genealogy
• breeding

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

Noun

Cocaine picks up in the city’s historic lineage right around the time Tammany Hall ends. —Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026

Przewalski's horses are known as the last surviving lineage of true wild horses. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

That lineage comes through in their ungovernable guitar noodling, inspired by underground icons NRBQ and Bottle Rockets, and a boisterous energy befitting of drunken basement shows. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2026

That kind of popularity and radiant goodness produces a lineage of artists but doesn’t have the crowd appeal of a lone genius who invents a flying machine or pulls a seventeen-foot sculpture out of a block of marble. —Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

lineage

noun

lin·​eage

ˈlin-ē-ij

1

: the ancestors from whom a person is descended

2

: the people descended from the same ancestor

Medical Definition

lineage

noun

lin·​e·​age

ˈlin-ē-ij also ˈlin-ij

1

: descent in a line from a common progenitor

2

: a group of individuals descended from a common ancestor

replication in T cell lineages