genealogy

[jee-nee-ol-uh-jee, -al-, jen-ee-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR genealogy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ge·ne·al·o·gies.

a record or account of the ancestry and descent of a person, family, group, etc.

the study of family ancestries and histories.

descent from an original form or progenitor; lineage; ancestry.

Biology. a group of individuals or species having a common ancestry: The various species of Darwin's finches form a closely knit genealogy.

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 for genealogy

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR genealogy ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See pedigree.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for genealogy

lineage, ancestry, genetics, parentage, pedigree, extraction, generation, descent, strain, heredity, derivation, line, history, stock, stemma, stirps

Examples from the Web for genealogy

Contemporary Examples of genealogy

Because the doctors do know who the person is; the doctors are conducting the genealogy.
How Will Porn Solve Its HIV Crisis?
Richard Abowitz
September 12, 2013
Well, according to the genealogy experts at, uh, myvouchercodes.co.uk who commissioned the pictures, it is.
First Pics of Kate's Kids (Sort of...)
Tom Sykes
March 26, 2013
It was a rupture in our genealogy that came to serve as a metaphor for larger losses in black history.
‘Searching for Zion’: Emily Raboteau’s Hunt for the Promised Land
Mindy Farabee
January 13, 2013
But the narrative has more to do with geology than genealogy.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 9, 2012
Nicholas Mancusi, Malcolm Jones
April 9, 2012
Likely, it has to do with history of genealogy or mythology or all of the above.
The Stars Predict Your Week
Starsky + Cox
September 24, 2011

Historical Examples of genealogy

Now this Salmon, according to the genealogy, was David's great-grandfather.
A Theological-Political Treatise [Part II]
Benedict of Spinoza
Lauzanne knew what had come to him of genealogy, not in his mind so much as in his muscles.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
In this genealogy, males are denoted by capitals, and females by small letters.
A Tangled Tale
Lewis Carroll
In this manner, then, according to them, the genealogy of these gods is to be received and set forth.
Timaeus
Plato
And the genealogy of this hypothesis is as high as that of the other is low.
Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. I
Herbert Spencer

British Dictionary definitions for genealogy

genealogy

noun plural -gies

the direct descent of an individual or group from an ancestor

the study of the evolutionary development of animals and plants from earlier forms

a chart showing the relationships and descent of an individual, group, genes, etc

Derived Formsgenealogical (ˌdʒiːnɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl) or genealogic, adjectivegenealogically, adverbgenealogist, noun

Word Origin for genealogy

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 genealogy

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.

genealogy in Medicine

genealogy

[jē′nē-ŏl′ə-jē, -ăl′-, jĕn′ē-]

n.

A record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree.

The study or investigation of ancestry and family histories.