noun
lineage
LIN-ee-ij/ˈlɪniɪdʒ/
A line of descent or development traced back to an ancestor or earlier source.
The portraits trace the daughter's lineage through her mother and grandmother.
Etymology
Old French lignage already meant ancestry or descent. Its underlying “line” image connects successive generations like a continuous thread, giving the sense of descent from an ancestor.
In context
To claim Trojan descent was to claim continuity from a pre-classical civilization, one that existed before Greek philosophy, before Roman law, before imperial Christianity. It was to place one's lineage outside the control of later institutions.
More examples
- The two families share a lineage stretching back several centuries.
- This musical style has a lineage rooted in the blues.
- Researchers compare the lineages of several closely related bird species.
Forms
lineage · lineages