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family tree

family tree

43 2.7
A picture that shows how people in a family are related over generations
  • noun
  • /ˈfæmɪli tri/
translation icon : árbol genealógico
  • At the reunion, we displayed a large family tree that included photographs of each relative across generations.
  • trace a family tree
  • create a family tree
  • submit a family tree

I looked up the biblical family tree and it's it's Adam.

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Examples

  • After years of research, she finally created a detailed family tree that traces her lineage back to the 1800s.

  • There was also talk about ancestry, and we were asked to draw our family trees.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • This is the Black family tree.

  • But her family tree was rather better documented than mine.

  • And to me, this changed our family tree because someone gave us hope and taught us that our number one goal should be helping other people have hope.

  • It's sort of like figuring out where a relative belongs on your family tree.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Offer classes on databases and tools that help those interested in tracing their family tree.

    Academic text (2014)
  • This will explain everything you need to know... and show you how to get all the documents you need... to trace your or anyone else's family tree.

  • This diagram illustrates my family tree, showing all my ancestors and their relationships.

Synonyms

genealogy
vsfamily tree
  • Specialized
32 7.4

A record of a family's ancestors and history

is the visual record showing relatives' ancestry and relationships rather than the study
stemmata
vsfamily tree
  • Specialized
9.9

Diagrams that show family relationships, like a family tree

is the specific diagram showing relatives' ancestry and relationships across generations
genogram
vsfamily tree
  • Specialized
8.5

A diagram that shows family relationships and patterns across generations

focuses just on relatives' ancestry and lineage rather than extra patterns
tree diagram
vsfamily tree
4.1

A drawing that shows lines branching from one point to show connections, like a family tree

is a diagram that shows relatives' ancestry and direct kin relationships across generations

How Detailed

genealogy
  • Specialized
32 7.4
family tree
43 2.7
family history
  • Specialized
55 2.7

Surface Forms

family tree singular
family trees plural

Morphology

family + tree

The compound "family tree" is directly compositional: "family" specifies the domain and "tree" denotes a branching diagram representing relationships, so the combined meaning is a diagram of familial relationships. This metaphorical use of "tree" for hierarchical diagrams is common across languages, making the sense reliably inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The noun family tree comes from the picture of a real tree: the trunk stands for older family members and the branches show children and grandchildren. So a family tree is a simple diagram that shows how 'relatives' are connected.