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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Origin of family-tree theory
First recorded in 1930–35
Words nearby family-tree theory
family support, family therapy, family tree, family values, family way, family-tree theory, famine, famish, famished, famotidine, famous
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020