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

This lineage of performers forged a unique experience where popular music intertwined with intimate fervor, followed by millions of families in their homes, creating a format that blends light, camera, song, and devotion. —Paula Soria, AZCentral.com, 12 Dec. 2025

These warblers now join Amazonian butterflies, cichlid fish in Africa, as well as our own hominid lineage, as exemplars of this process of evolutionary sharing. —David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025

Told across four acts with interludes grounded in her father’s personal archive, the memoir becomes an act of survival—not just of memory, but of language and lineage. —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

Your new book has an introductory essay by Shai Batel that places you in an artistic lineage that includes Duchamp and Richard Prince. —Corey Seymour, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2025

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