ge·ne·al·o·gy 
(jē′nē-ŏlə-jē, -ăl-, jĕn′ē-)
(jē′nē-ŏlə-jē, -ăl-, jĕn′ē-)n. pl. ge·ne·al·o·gies
1. A record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree.
2. Direct descent from an ancestor; lineage or pedigree.
3. The study or investigation of ancestry and family histories.
[Middle English genealogie, from Old French, from Late Latin geneālogia, from Greek geneālogiā : geneā, family; see genə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + -logiā, -logy.]
ge′ne·a·logi·cal (-ə-lŏjĭ-kəl) adj.
ge′ne·a·logi·cal·ly adv.
ge′ne·alo·gist n.