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

Now teetering on the brink of extinction, every remaining Mariana crow represents a fragile ecosystem and a deep cultural lineage the islands cannot afford to lose. — Rachel Ramirez, Vox, 12 Nov. 2026

During life’s earliest days, these processes came together to store and pass on information, both consistently and imperfectly enough to allow the same living lineage to persist for billions of years on an ever-changing planet. — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 12 Nov. 2026

Adults is the exact sort of show that’s fun to look forward to weekly, and develop discourse and memes over time, and would place it firmly in the lineage of its weekly release forebears like New Girl. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2026

Its intelligence lineage runs from the Central Special Branch of the late 1920s through the Social Affairs Department of the Yan’an years of the 1940s to the Central Investigation Department, founded in 1955. — Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 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