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genealogy

[jee-nee-ol-uh-jee, -al-, jen-ee-]
noun, plural ge·ne·al·o·gies.
  1. a record or account of the ancestry and descent of a person, family, group, etc.
  2. the study of family ancestries and histories.
  3. descent from an original form or progenitor; lineage; ancestry.
  4. Biology. a group of individuals or species having a common ancestry: The various species of Darwin's finches form a closely knit genealogy.
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Origin of genealogy

1250–1300; Middle English genealogie < Middle French < Late Latin geneālogia < Greek geneālogía pedigree, equivalent to geneā́ race (see gene) + -logia -logy
Related formsge·ne·a·log·i·cal [jee-nee-uh-loj-i-kuh l, jen-ee-] /ˌdʒi ni əˈlɒdʒ ɪ kəl, ˌdʒɛn i-/, ge·ne·a·log·ic, adjectivege·ne·a·log·i·cal·ly, adverbge·ne·al·o·gist, nounnon·ge·ne·a·log·ic, adjectivenon·ge·ne·a·log·i·cal, adjectivenon·ge·ne·a·log·i·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms

1. See pedigree.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for genealogist

Historical Examples

  • "A Normandy squire," thought the genealogist, from something in the accent.

    The False Chevalier

    William Douw Lighthall

  • Mr. Reade traces their history with all the relentlessness of the genealogist.

    Immortal Memories

    Clement Shorter

  • There is a man here—Meredith they call him—a bard and genealogist.

    Pabo, The Priest

    Sabine Baring-Gould

  • In pursuing this work, he becomes the genealogist of a race.

    The Quest for a Lost Race

    Thomas E. Pickett

  • This is of date 1274-9, and is engraved in Herald and Genealogist, vol.

British Dictionary definitions for genealogist

genealogy

noun plural -gies
  1. the direct descent of an individual or group from an ancestor
  2. the study of the evolutionary development of animals and plants from earlier forms
  3. a chart showing the relationships and descent of an individual, group, genes, etc
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Derived Formsgenealogical (ˌdʒiːnɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl) or genealogic, adjectivegenealogically, adverbgenealogist, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French genealogie, from Late Latin geneālogia, from Greek, from genea race
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for genealogist

n.

c.1600, from genealogy + -ist.

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genealogy

n.

early 14c., "line of descent, pedigree, descent," from Old French genealogie (12c.), from Late Latin genealogia "tracing of a family," from Greek genealogia, from genea "generation, descent" (see genus) + -logia (see -logy). An Old English word for it was folctalu, literally "folk tale." Meaning "study of family trees" is from 1768.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
genealogist in Medicine

genealogy

(jē′nē-ŏl′ə-jē, -ăl′-, jĕn′ē-)
n.
  1. A record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree.
  2. The study or investigation of ancestry and family histories.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.