family tree

American  

noun

• family trees
  plural

1. a genealogical chart showing the ancestry, descent, and relationship of all members of a family or other genealogical group.

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family tree British  

noun

1. Also called: genealogical tree. a chart showing the genealogical relationships and lines of descent of a family

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• family trees
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of family tree

First recorded in 1800–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

family tree

The researchers were also able to place the new species within the mammal family tree using MorphoBank, a comprehensive research platform for studying mammalian evolutionary relationships.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

Then again, as the family tree that prefaces this memoir makes clear, it made no difference that the Moritz family had lived in German territory since the 18th century.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

One day I’m sure our son will come home from school with a family tree assignment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Birds are a highly specialized branch of the dinosaur family tree, with a history stretching deep into the Mesozoic Era.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

The components in the making of this film were very significant and intertwined like the main branches on a family tree.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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