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

Etymology

Origin of family tree

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

family tree

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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Nearly the entire statistical signal was coming from a single branch of the insect family tree.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Any family tree is going to be filled with colors,” Marshall added.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam