lineage

¹ American  

[lin-ee-ij] / ˈlɪn i ɪdʒ /

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

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lineage ² American  

[lahy-nij] / ˈlaɪ nɪdʒ /

noun

1. linage.

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lineage ¹ British  

/ ˈlɪnɪɪdʒ /

noun

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

2. a less common word for derivation

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lineage ² British  

/ ˈlaɪnɪdʒ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of linage

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Etymology

Origin of lineage

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

Example Sentences

Those of ancient lineage may be thinking of the infamous LBJ phone call badgering the head of ABC to get college-football broadcasts for Lady Bird’s TV station.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

These animals are considered distant ancestors of modern birds and were the only dinosaur lineage to survive the mass extinction at the end of the Mesozoic era 66 million years ago.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

Springsteen called the musician a writer in the lineage of "geniuses" and "natural rebels" like Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

He studied in a seminary in Qom after his service with the Revolutionary Guard and wears the black turban of a sayyid, indicating that he traces his lineage to the prophet Muhammad.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

I was fairly certain that, if you traced the lineage of all the desserts in the world, each and every one originated in Yazd.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Related Words

• clan
• descent
• genealogy
• origin
• pedigree