lineal

[ lin-ee-uh l ]

/ ˈlɪn i əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lineal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being in the direct line, as a descendant or ancestor, or in a direct line, as descent or succession.

of or transmitted by lineal descent.

linear.

Nearby words

line-up, linea, linea alba, linea nigra, lineage, lineal, lineally, lineament, linear, linear a, linear accelerator

Origin of lineal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word līneālis. See line¹, -al¹

Related forms

lin·e·al·ly, adverbmul·ti·lin·e·al, adjectivenon·lin·e·al, adjectiveun·lin·e·al, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for lineal

Dr No -- the lineal descendant of Fu Manchu—is the epitome of evil.
James Bond is Back But is He Any Good without Fleming?|Robert McCrum|October 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Holmes's picture is of a later New England than Hawthorne's, but it is its lineal descendant.
Literary and Social Essays|George William Curtis
The "sons of God" must have been the lineal descendants of Adam, and the "daughters of men" the offspring of the pre-Adamic race.
A Manual of the Antiquity of Man|J. P. MacLean
The area of the harbour is 42 acres, with nearly 700 lineal yards of quayage.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2|Various

No lineal descendants can claim as an ancestor this extraordinary man.
Washington's Birthday|Various
Many of the present congregation are lineal descendants of the original subscribers.
The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, Vol. 4 (of 4)|Thomas Babington Macaulay

British Dictionary definitions for lineal

lineal

/ (ˈlɪnɪəl) /

adjective

being in a direct line of descent from an ancestor

of, involving, or derived from direct descent

a less common word for linear

Derived Forms

lineally, adverb

Word Origin for lineal

C14: via Old French from Late Latin līneālis, from Latin līnea line 1

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