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lineal

[ lin-ee-uhl ]
/ ˈlɪn i əl /
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See synonyms for: lineal / lineally 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.
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Origin of lineal

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

OTHER WORDS FROM lineal

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. 2022

Words related to lineal

familial, tribal, immediate, personal, person-to-person, genetic, inborn, transmitted, national, consecutive, nonstop, short, smooth, solid, straightforward, successive, true, prompt, succeeding, beeline

How to use lineal in a sentence

  • What proof that some unlineal hand, some barbarism, without or within, shall not wrench the sceptre of democracy from our grasp?

    Have faith in Massachusetts; 2d ed.|Calvin Coolidge

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 of lineal

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
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