genealogy

1 of 2

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

genealogical

ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

ˌje-nē-

adjective

genealogically

ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

ˌje-nē-

adverb

genealogical

2 of 2

adjective

gene·​a·​log·​i·​cal ¦jēnēə¦läjə̇kəl 

äjēk- also ¦jen-

variants or less commonly genealogic

-äjik, 

-äjēk

: of or relating to genealogy

genealogically

-jə̇k(ə)lē 

-jēk-, 

-li

adverb

Synonyms of genealogy

Noun

• ancestry
• lineage
• pedigree
• family

Examples of genealogy in a Sentence

Noun

They've been researching their genealogies.

has a distinguished genealogy that traces back to William the Conqueror

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The event included an announcement that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be donating $3 million toward the museum's construction and the creation of a genealogy center in it. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

The museum, leaders announced on Wednesday, will also house a genealogy center that will be intended to help visitors preserve family history through the company FamilySearch. — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026

Using genetic genealogy, the investigators determined the DNA was that of Frederick Tanzer, a doctor who in 1989 was the husband of Beatty’s best friend. — Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

For a writer so given to cultural reference, intellectual genealogy, and various explanatory apparatuses, this failure of language is unexpectedly liberating to read. — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English genealogie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin genealogia, from Greek, from genea race, family + -logia -logy; akin to Greek genos race

Adjective

Middle French genealogique, from genealogie + -ique -ical, -ic

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for genealogy

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology

Kids Definition

genealogy

noun

ge·​ne·​al·​o·​gy ˌjē-nē-ˈäl-ə-jē  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

genealogical

ˌjē-nē-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

ˌjen-ē-

adjective

genealogically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

genealogist

-ˈäl-ə-jəst, 

-ˈal-

noun