Lineal
['lɪnɪəl]
Definition
(adj.) arranged in a line .
(adj.) in a straight unbroken line of descent from parent to child; 'lineal ancestors'; 'lineal heirs'; 'a direct descendant of the king'; 'direct heredity' .
Edited by Flo--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Descending in a direct line from an ancestor; hereditary; derived from ancestors; -- opposed to collateral; as, a lineal descent or a lineal descendant.
(a.) Inheriting by direct descent; having the right by direct descent to succeed (to).
(a.) Composed of lines; delineated; as, lineal designs.
(a.) In the direction of a line; of or pertaining to a line; measured on, or ascertained by, a line; linear; as, lineal magnitude.
Edited by Debra
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. In a direct line (from an ancestor).[2]. Linear, in the direction of a line.
Typist: Robbie
Examples
- The Israelites held them sacred in the old patriarchal times, and these other Arabs, their lineal descendants, do so likewise. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Hence the origin of the right of primogeniture, and of what is called lineal succession. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- He did not mention that he was a lineal descendant of Balaam's ass, but everybody knew that without his telling it. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
Typist: Robbie