lineage

¹

[ lin-ee-ij ]

noun

1. lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry or extraction:

   She could trace her lineage to the early Pilgrims.

   Synonyms: genealogy, derivation, parentage, pedigree

2. the line of descendants of a particular ancestor; family.

   Synonyms: clan, tribe

lineage

²

[ lahy-nij ]

noun

1. linage.

lineage

¹

/ ˈlɪnɪɪdʒ /

noun

1. direct descent from an ancestor, esp a line of descendants from one ancestor
2. a less common word for derivation

lineage

²

/ ˈlaɪnɪdʒ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of linage

Word History and Origins

Origin of lineage¹

1275–1325; line(al) + -age; replacing Middle English linage < Anglo-French; Old French lignage < Vulgar Latin *līneāticum. See line ¹, -age

Word History and Origins

Origin of lineage¹

C14: from Old French lignage, from Latin līnea line ¹

Example Sentences

"As we recently published in the journal PNAS, we can actually trace the male lineage of horses using the Y chromosome, which was something we could not do before," Cothran said.

From Science Daily

The use of nine genetic markers associated with a high-risk EBV lineage might help predict the presence of NPC, thus providing a potential new avenue for NPC screening and diagnosis.

From Science Daily

To answer such a fundamental question, the scientists started by demonstrating that, across all major parrot lineages, yellow and red in feathers correspond to two specific pigments that do not occur in other birds.

From Science Daily

The weight of that history — at a school known both for its wellspring of quarterbacks and lineage of Polynesian stars — hasn’t been lost on Maiava, who called it “a blessing and a privilege.”

From Los Angeles Times

Beyoncé, who channeled her mother’s lineage earlier this year for her “Cowboy Carter” imagery, wrote on Instagram that she “couldn’t be prouder” of her mom.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clan
• descent
• genealogy
• origin
• pedigree