definitions

family-tree theory

[ fam-uh-lee tree, fam-lee- ]
/ ˈfæm ə li ˈtri, ˈfæm li- /

noun Historical Linguistics.

a theory that describes language change in terms of genetically related languages developing in successive splits from a common parent language, such as Indo-European, as depicted by a family tree diagram.

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Nearby words

family support, family therapy, family tree, family values, family way, family-tree theory, famine, famish, famished, famotidine, famous
Compare wave theory.

Origin of family-tree theory

First recorded in 1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019