ge·ne·al·o·gy (jē'nē-ŏl'ə-jē, -ăl'-, jĕn'ē-)
n., pl., -gies.

1. A record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree.
2. Direct descent from an ancestor; lineage or pedigree.
3. The study or investigation of ancestry and family histories.

[Middle English genealogie, from Old French, from Late Latin geneālogia, from Greek geneālogiā : geneā, family + -logiā, -logy.]

genealogical ge'ne·a·log'i·cal (-ə-lŏj'ĭ-kəl) adj.
genealogically ge'ne·a·log'i·cal·ly adv.
genealogist ge'ne·al'o·gist n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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