lineage

¹

[lin-ee-ij]

noun

1. lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or extraction.

   She could trace her lineage to the early Pilgrims.

   Synonyms: genealogy, derivation, parentage, pedigree

2. the line of descendants of a particular ancestor; family.

   Synonyms: clan, tribe

lineage

²

[lahy-nij]

noun

1. linage.

lineage

¹

/ ˈlɪnɪɪdʒ /

noun

1. direct descent from an ancestor, esp a line of descendants from one ancestor

2. a less common word for derivation

lineage

²

/ ˈlaɪnɪdʒ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of linage

Word History and Origins

Origin of lineage¹

1275–1325; line(al) + -age; replacing Middle English linage < Anglo-French; Old French lignage < Vulgar Latin *līneāticum. See line ¹, -age

Word History and Origins

Origin of lineage¹

C14: from Old French lignage, from Latin līnea _line ¹

Example Sentences

A genealogist working with the organisation failed to detect Cherokee ancestry anywhere in King's family lineage.

Read more on BBC

Geese plays skronky yet weirdly beautiful guitar music that inspires both swaying and moshing; it’s in a clear lineage of NYC acts that stretches back through the Strokes and Television to the Velvet Underground.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

While Paul worked in the lineage of Cousy and Stockton—basketball’s legendary little guys—the NBA started favoring bigger playmakers, who could pass the ball but also score by the bucketload.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The oldest fossils representing these modern lineages date to about 135 million years ago.

Read more on Science Daily

Their father, Philip, was a major general in the Continental Army, and their mother, Catharine, was a Van Rensselaer, another prominent Dutch lineage.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clan 
• descent 
• genealogy 
• origin 
• pedigree