genealogy
noun
ge·ne·al·o·gy
ˌjē-nē-ˈä-lə-jē 
also
-ˈa-lə-
also ˌje-nē-
plural genealogies
1
: an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms
2
: regular descent of a person, family, or group of organisms from a progenitor (see progenitor sense 1) or older form : pedigree
3
: the study of family ancestral lines
4
: an account of the origin and historical development of something
Examples of genealogy in a Sentence
They've been researching their genealogies.
has a distinguished genealogy that traces back to William the Conqueror
Recent Examples on the Web
The break in the case came in late 2022 when investigators used advanced genetic genealogy to identify Baby India's birth father, which ultimately led to the suspect.
—
Christine Pelisek, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
The website only works with law enforcement agencies and doesn’t offer genealogy or health tools.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
In addition to her identity, her background, and her politics, a kind of cinematic genealogy was crucial to her development of a personalized yet political sense of form: when Agnès Varda visited Cuba in 1962, Gómez worked as her assistant, and the two became friends.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
What begins as a memoir evolves into a compelling American story fueled not only by research into race and sociology, but also by Hawkins’ genealogy.
—Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genealogy
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Christine Pelisek, People.com, 21 Feb. 2025
The website only works with law enforcement agencies and doesn’t offer genealogy or health tools.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
In addition to her identity, her background, and her politics, a kind of cinematic genealogy was crucial to her development of a personalized yet political sense of form: when Agnès Varda visited Cuba in 1962, Gómez worked as her assistant, and the two became friends.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
What begins as a memoir evolves into a compelling American story fueled not only by research into race and sociology, but also by Hawkins’ genealogy.
—Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genealogy
Cite this Entry
“Genealogy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genealogy. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
genealogy
noun
ge·ne·al·o·gy
ˌjē-nē-ˈäl-ə-jē
ˌjen-ē-
ˌjen-ē-
-ˈal-
plural genealogies
1
: the line of ancestors of a person or family or a history of such a line of ancestors
2
: the study of family lines of ancestors
genealogist
noun
-ˈäl-ə-jəst
-ˈal-
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