bloodline

American  

[bluhd-lahyn] / ˈblʌdˌlaɪn /

noun

1. (usually of animals) the line of descent; pedigree; strain.

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bloodline British  

/ ˈblʌdˌlaɪn /

noun

1. all the members of a family group over generations, esp regarding characteristics common to that group; pedigree

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Etymology

Origin of bloodline

First recorded in 1905–10; blood + line ¹

Example Sentences

Her grandfather Charlie, an actor who embraced visual effects a century ago with “The Gold Rush,” would have been impressed by how his bloodline has kept pace with cinema’s evolution.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Berry believes that a tale can be as binding as a bloodline.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Cleveland, I found relatives whose faces felt like mirrors of mine, an eerie recognition that happens when bloodlines reintroduce themselves after decades of distance.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first in her bloodline to graduate high school, Straight earned an MFA at the University of Massachusetts and brought it home to UC Riverside, where she’s been teaching creative writing since 1988.

From Los Angeles Times

A percentage of babies born every day will manifest queer characteristics, and though countless strongmen have left fields of carnage in attempts to manage so-called bloodlines, nobody can override such DNA destiny.

From Salon

Related Words

• genealogy
• lineage
• parentage
• pedigree