genealogy

ge·ne·al·o·gy

noun \-jē\

plural ge·ne·al·o·gies

Definition of GENEALOGY

1

: an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms

2

: regular descent of a person, family, or group of organisms from a progenitor or older form : pedigree

3

: the study of family pedigrees

4

: an account of the origin and historical development of something

— ge·ne·a·log·i·cal \ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl, ˌje-nē-\ adjective

— ge·ne·a·log·i·cal·ly \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Examples of GENEALOGY

1. They've been researching their genealogies.
2. <has a distinguished genealogy that traces back to William the Conqueror>

Origin of GENEALOGY

Middle English genealogie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin genealogia, from Greek, from genea race, family + -logia -logy; akin to Greek genos race

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to GENEALOGY

Synonyms: birth, blood, bloodline, breeding, descent, extraction, family tree, ancestry, line, lineage, origin, parentage, pedigree, stock, strain

Antonyms: issue, posterity, progeny, seed

Related Words: heredity, succession; family, house; kin, kindred, relations, relatives; race

Near Antonyms: offspring; child, heir, inheritor, son, successor

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Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

Rhymes with GENEALOGY

cosmetology, etymology, martyrology, phraseology, radiology