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
Synonyms
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
But for the public, Binder said, there’s a much more practical way to help solve cold cases like Yager’s: donate your genetic information by taking a DNA test offered by a commercial genealogy database.
—
Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Today, Polly runs a website called Net-mom, which is a registered trademark, and spends her free time doing genealogy and gardening.
—Diba Mohtasham, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
The company Ancestry, which helps people trace their genealogy, has found evidence that Swift is distantly related to the famed poet Emily Dickinson.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
With forensic genetic genealogy and DNA testing, authorities identified the woman as Tabetha Ann Murlin, whose maiden name was Tabetha Ann Slain.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Feb. 2024
The mother of a newborn girl found dead in a garbage can at a Phoenix airport in 2005 has been arrested after investigators dug back into the cold case using genetic genealogy, police announced Tuesday.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2024
Last year, the company said the county’s medical examiner’s office turned its efforts to forensic genetic genealogy, partnering with Othram.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
Police said a crowdfund was established to cover the costs for the forensic genetic genealogy work done by Othram.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, a detective in Stafford County was using forensic investigative genetic genealogy to help identify Lard’s killer.
—Amanda Jackson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Today, Polly runs a website called Net-mom, which is a registered trademark, and spends her free time doing genealogy and gardening.
—Diba Mohtasham, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024
The company Ancestry, which helps people trace their genealogy, has found evidence that Swift is distantly related to the famed poet Emily Dickinson.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
With forensic genetic genealogy and DNA testing, authorities identified the woman as Tabetha Ann Murlin, whose maiden name was Tabetha Ann Slain.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Feb. 2024
The mother of a newborn girl found dead in a garbage can at a Phoenix airport in 2005 has been arrested after investigators dug back into the cold case using genetic genealogy, police announced Tuesday.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2024
Last year, the company said the county’s medical examiner’s office turned its efforts to forensic genetic genealogy, partnering with Othram.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
Police said a crowdfund was established to cover the costs for the forensic genetic genealogy work done by Othram.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, a detective in Stafford County was using forensic investigative genetic genealogy to help identify Lard’s killer.
—Amanda Jackson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'genealogy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near genealogy
Cite this Entry
“Genealogy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genealogy. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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-
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share