adjective
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being in a direct line of descent from an ancestor
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of, involving, or derived from direct descent
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a less common word for linear
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lineal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word līneālis. See line 1, -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, was a lineal descendant of the Marshall Plan and an embodiment of soft power.
From Salon • Aug. 16, 2025
Foreman knocked Frazier down six times in two rounds to become the WBA, WBC and lineal heavyweight champion.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2025
Such research can rediscover people’s names and families to possibly identify any living lineal descendants, as well as inform repatriation claims made by self-identified descendant communities.
From Science Magazine • Jan. 23, 2024
Some tribes ask potential members to show lineal descent, meaning an ancestor who was a registered member.
From Washington Post • Nov. 1, 2022
The Voyager spacecraft are the lineal descendants of those sailing-ship voyages of exploration, and of the scientific and speculative tradition of Christiaan Huygens.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
