lineage
/ˈlɪ.ni.ɪdʒ/noun
The line of ancestors a person or family descends from, or the descendants that follow from a common ancestor.
Example sentences
- “The family can trace its lineage back to the sixteenth century.”
- “The horse's lineage includes several famous racing champions.”
Three syllables: LIN-ee-ij. Common in discussions of ancestry, royalty, and, more recently, software and language families.