Lignée

Lignée is a French noun meaning lineage, line of descent, or family line. It is used to describe the sequence of ancestors from whom a person or an organism is descended, with English equivalents such as lineage, bloodline, or descent.

The term derives from la ligne, line, and is related to lignage, a closely connected word used in similar contexts. In French, lignée can refer to a defined family line and is commonly found in genealogical writing and historical texts.

In genealogy, a lignée denotes a particular family line traced across generations. It is common to speak of la lignée maternelle or la lignée paternelle to indicate maternal or paternal lines, respectively.

In biology and medicine, lignée describes a lineage of cells, organisms, or strains sharing a common ancestor. It appears in discussions of evolutionary lineages, clonal lineages in tumors, and the ancestral relationships among populations.

In breeding, agriculture, and conservation, a lignée refers to a distinct line selected for consistent traits, such as a breed, cultivar, or lineage of animals or plants. Maintaining or documenting a lignée supports traceability and genetic characterization.

Related terms include lineage and pedigree, which are used in similar contexts in anthropology, biology, and agriculture.