genealogy

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The study of family history and how people are related over generations.

   Grammar: No plural or article: she studies genealogy.

   Patterns

   • study genealogy
   • research genealogy

   My aunt took up genealogy after retiring.

   Online records have made genealogy much easier.

   He uses DNA tests as part of his genealogy research.

2. 2nouncountable

   A written or drawn record of a person's or family's ancestors.

   Grammar: Takes a/an and a plural: a genealogy, three genealogies.

   Patterns

   • the genealogy of someone

   The book includes a genealogy of the royal family.

   She traced her genealogy back to the 1700s.

   The museum displays a genealogy painted on parchment.

Word forms

Common combinations

trace your genealogy

He used old letters to trace his genealogy.

family genealogy

Their family genealogy goes back six generations.

genealogy research

Genealogy research takes patience.

genealogy records

Church genealogy records are a common source.

genealogy website

She joined a genealogy website to find cousins.

Synonyms and how they differ

ancestry

Ancestry means the people you descend from, while genealogy is the study or record of them.

lineage

Lineage is a direct line of descent, often noble, whereas genealogy covers the broader tree.

pedigree

Pedigree is usually used for animals or for impressive family background, not for the study itself.

family tree

A family tree is the diagram, while genealogy is also the research behind it.

Word family

genealogist noun

a person who studies family history

genealogical adjective

relating to family history

genealogically adverb

in terms of family descent

Commonly confused: genealogy or geology? genealogy or genetics?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “genealogy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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