Genealogy
/ˌdʒiː.niˈæl.ə.dʒi/noun
The study of family history and lineage.
Did you know?In ancient cultures, knowing one's genealogy was often linked to power and divine favor, as bloodlines were thought to carry ancestral spirits.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʲen-
“to give birth, to beget, produce.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γενεά (genea)
“a generation, descent, or lineage.”
Latin
Latin
genalogia
“the study of descent or lineage.”
Old French
Old French
genealogie
“the line of descent, family tree.”
Middle English
Middle English
geneologie
“the science of family lineage.”
Modern English
English
genealogy
“the tracing of family descent and history.”