family tree

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of family tree

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Television genealogists may point out that Colbert’s branch of the talk show family tree is still represented by his Comedy Central brethren on “The Daily Show,” including Stewart, and John Oliver on “Last Week Tonight.”

From Salon • May 21, 2026

Finn and his Danish relatives had similar physical characteristics to the UK couple - light eyes and brown hair, an extended family tree showed.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

He joined Team Italy in 2023 to honor his Italian grandfather, then spent the next few years championing the squad to anyone he could find with an Italian branch on their family tree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

"These properties are relatively conserved in the evolutionary family tree of insects and can only be changed to a limited extent," Peters explains.

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026

It didn’t look like I’d gotten anything from Dad’s family tree.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam