ge·ne·al·o·gy

n. pl. ge·ne·al·o·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 genelogia, from Greek genelogi : gene, family; see gen- in Indo-European Roots + -logi, -logy.]gene·a·logi·cal. adj. gene·a·logi·cal·ly adv. gene·alo·gist n.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.