genealogy

Genealogy traces to Greek γενεαλογία (genealogia), used by the 5th century BCE. It combines genea "race, family, generation" with -logia "account." Greek historians used it for lineages and origin accounts. The term tied lineage to narrative.

Latin writers adopted genealogia by the 1st century CE. Medieval Latin used it for lists of descent, especially in dynastic records. By the 14th century, French genealogy appeared in legal and courtly contexts. The word moved from narrative lineage to documented descent.

English picked up genealogy in the 14th century, with attestations around 1387. It entered through legal and ecclesiastical writing. The meaning centered on recorded family descent. The term gained wider use in the 19th century with printed pedigrees.

Today genealogy is the study and record of family lineages and ancestors. It covers oral tradition, archives, and genetic testing, but the word itself stays formal. The core is still an account of generations. The Greek structure remains visible in the English word.