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bloodline

bloodline

57 4.8
A family line of people or animals related by birth
  • noun
  • /ˈblʌdˌlaɪn/
translation icon : linaje
  • I ran for duty's sake, for the preservation of a kingdom and a bloodline that no longer exists.
  • noble bloodline
  • royal bloodline

She told me that the royal bloodline would end with me.

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Examples

  • I am the last of the true bloodline of Rohan.

  • The images are all familiar to us and all connected with the bloodline's history.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • And now I am one of my first that I know of in my bloodline to return back to Africa.

  • My daddy stated in his will that the home stay in his bloodline and never be sold.

  • If you feel strongly about continuing your bloodline, have just one kid of your own.

    Blog text (17)
  • She told me that the royal bloodline would end with me.

  • We carry the bloodline of the Ancient Bahou.

  • Catholic leaders emphasized commitment to American ideas and institutions, not bloodlines, as the essence of an American's identity.

    Academic text (1991)
  • CALEB: Every generation, the bloodlines produce only one: The eldest male.

  • We could trace Rayna's bloodline back to wherever her ancestors come from.

Synonyms

blood
vsbloodline
639 4.1

Family history passed down from your ancestors

focuses more narrowly on direct genetic descent than general inheritance
line
vsbloodline
198 5.6

A series of related people or events over time

is more specific about biological inheritance and genetic continuity
origin
vsbloodline
163 2.3

The family background and country where someone’s family comes from

is narrower, focusing on direct genetic descent rather than general beginnings
ancestry
vsbloodline
57 4.1

The family you come from over many generations

stresses biological heredity and genetic descent rather than persons only
descent
vsbloodline
51 4.6

The family a person comes from, for example parents or grandparents

highlights biological heredity and genetic continuity over generations
lineage
vsbloodline
46 5.5

A list of family members who came before you

focuses more on genetic inheritance and breed connections
stock
vsbloodline
20 5.8

The family or ancestors that someone comes from

focuses on genetic lines and heredity rather than social background
pedigree
vsbloodline
14 5.3

A record of a person or family's ancestors that shows an important background

stresses natural hereditary descent rather than recorded status or prestige
parentage
vsbloodline
7 5.3

Who a person's mother and father are and their family background

covers broader genetic lines beyond immediate parental origin
family line
vsbloodline
5 3.2

A group of people who are related by birth over many generations

is used especially for genetic inheritance across breeds and species
consanguinity
vsbloodline
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A blood relation between people from the same family

refers more to family chain continuity and genetic descent than mere relation
line of descent
vsbloodline
1 3.8

The people in a family who are related by blood across generations

emphasizes heredity and genetics rather than just family listing
progeniture
vsbloodline
  • Archaic
9.9

A family line that shows where a person comes from

is concerned with genetic descent broadly rather than one ancestor focus
stemma
vsbloodline
  • Specialized
9.9

A record showing a person's ancestors across generations

emphasizes heredity and biological descent rather than record or diagram

Surface Forms

bloodline singular
bloodlines plural

Morphology

bloodline = blood + line (transparent) = blood + line

The meaning 'lineage' is a straightforward combination of 'blood' (kinship) + 'line' (succession), which learners can infer from the components.

Etymology

The word bloodline comes from two plain words: blood (meaning 'family or family ties') and line (meaning 'a row or series'). So a bloodline is the line of people connected by blood, which is why we use it for family descent and for the heritage of animals.