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nasab

nasab

9.9
A person's family history and ancestors
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : linaje
  • In many cultures, understanding your nasab can help you connect with your heritage and family history.

Examples

  • The study of nasab is important in several societies as it establishes a person's lineage and familial connections.

  • Nasab is a key term, although difficult to translate and not common in everyday speech, at least in my experience in Lebanon.

    Academic text (2007)
  • In much Islamic discourse, nasab is viewed as the primordial relationship upon which the wider set of relationships of rights and obligations that form human society is built.

    Academic text (2007)
  • While there is a general consensus that medical advances in fertility treatment are to be welcomed, there is concern over the possibility of a mixing up of the lines of kinship (here nasab) that are the foundation of society.

    Academic text (2007)
  • He proudly shared his nasab, tracing his ancestors back several generations in his family tree.

Synonyms

origin
vsnasab
163 2.3

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

focuses on family background while also involving tracing and recording relatives
ancestry
vsnasab
57 4.1

The family you come from over many generations

is broader adding the active tracing or record keeping of ancestors
descent
vsnasab
51 4.6

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

adds the idea of recording or researching ancestor connections
lineage
vsnasab
46 5.5

A list of family members who came before you

also covers tracing records and the practice of documenting ancestors
genealogy
vsnasab
  • Specialized
32 7.4

A record of a family's ancestors and history

is the general concept including family line and the practice of tracing ancestors
pedigree
vsnasab
14 5.3

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

focuses on ancestry generally not on purity or elite status
line of descent
vsnasab
1 3.8

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

includes that sequence and also the act of tracing family history

Surface Forms

nasab singular
nasabs plural

Etymology

The word nasab comes from the Arabic root n-s-b, which means 'to connect' or 'to trace a line'. Think of a family 'line' that links parents and children, and you get why nasab means family lineage or ancestry.