ancestry

Etymology

From Middle English auncestrie, from Old French ancesserie. See ancestor.

noun

1. The state of being ancestors
2. birth to a noble or high-ranking family, or to someone of honorable descent.
   Title and ancestry render a good man more illustrious, but an ill one more contemptible.
   Tali: My people place a high value on family and ancestry. There's an unspoken expectation that I'll live up to my father's example. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: SSV Normandy
3. A series of ancestors; the people from whom one is descended
   I can trace my ancestry back to the 18th century.