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

In that case, an investigative team constructed a family tree to help identify the killer.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Scientists have reconstructed a remarkably detailed family tree of cells in a developing mouse embryo, tracing their origins back to the moment a fertilized egg first divided into two cells.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

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

As a child of refugees from Hitler’s Germany and the descendent of a once-large family tree, many of whose branches were obliterated by the Holocaust, Mr. Moritz registered the diagnosis with mordant irony.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Joseph wasn’t sure what he was expecting ... a typed biography, perhaps, or a family tree, but it was neither of those things.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

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