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 case went cold until 2022, when the Denver Police Department reopened the investigation and used DNA evidence and genetic genealogy to identify Groshart as a suspect.
—
Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
In 2023, police said investigators created a genetic genealogy report.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Kapua was just a baby when her parents set the stage for her acceptance at the school by adding details of her Native Hawaiian ancestry to a genealogy database.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Transcripts, grammars, vocabularies, dictionaries, glyph studies, botanical studies, commentaries, articles, editions of codices, correspondence, maps, charts, drawings, photographs, Maya Society materials, genealogies of Maya families, and Mayan glyphs on moveable type.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 12 Sep. 2025
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Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
In 2023, police said investigators created a genetic genealogy report.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Kapua was just a baby when her parents set the stage for her acceptance at the school by adding details of her Native Hawaiian ancestry to a genealogy database.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Transcripts, grammars, vocabularies, dictionaries, glyph studies, botanical studies, commentaries, articles, editions of codices, correspondence, maps, charts, drawings, photographs, Maya Society materials, genealogies of Maya families, and Mayan glyphs on moveable type.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 12 Sep. 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 22 Sep. 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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