genealogy
genealogy — noun
1. The practice of investigating and recording each person in a family line across
The practice of investigating and recording each person in a family line across earlier generations — their names, life events, and how they connect to people alive today.
Sofia has spent years studying the genealogy of her mother's side of the family.
the genealogy of + [family/group]
Public records helped Defne trace her genealogy back to the nineteenth century.
trace one's genealogy back to [time]
The librarian showed Christopher how to search online genealogy databases for old census information.
Nila enrolled in a university course on genealogy to research her ancestors properly.
Jiwoo discovered that genealogy research often requires visiting local churches to find old birth records.
- family history
More personal and narrative; often used by hobbyists rather than academics
- ancestry
Focuses on ethnic or national origins rather than the systematic tracing of individual relatives
- lineage
More formal and narrow; refers specifically to the direct line of descent, often in legal or hereditary contexts
文法句型
the genealogy of + family/group
genealogy + noun (research, database, course)
用法筆記
Uncountable when talking about the discipline ('Genealogy is becoming more popular'). Countable when referring to the specific lines of descent ('They traced three different genealogies from the same village'). Often used with 'of' to specify whose family history is under study.
常見錯誤
2. A drawing or diagram that uses lines and branches to show how the members of a f
A drawing or diagram that uses lines and branches to show how the members of a family across several generations are related to one another, usually with names and sometimes dates.
Wren drew a simple genealogy showing four generations of his family for a school project.
draw a genealogy showing [number] generations
The museum displayed a genealogy of the royal family tracing back to the seventeenth century.
a genealogy of + [family/group] tracing back to [time]
Adina framed her genealogy and hung it on the wall next to old family photographs.
Lien added her newborn niece to the family genealogy beside a small red heart.
Each branch of Élise's genealogy was colour-coded by the country her ancestors came from.
- family tree
More common in everyday language; usually drawn in a tree-like shape with fewer details than a formal genealogy
- pedigree
Used for animals or formal hereditary lines; sounds unnatural for a typical human family
文法句型
draw/create a genealogy
a genealogy of + family/group
show/display + genealogy
用法筆記
Countable noun — you can have one genealogy or several genealogies. A genealogy chart is similar to a family tree, but genealogy charts often include more detailed information (dates, places, notes) arranged in a structured diagram rather than a tree shape.