1. descent in a direct line from an ancestor; lineal relationship
Usage: formal; legal
2. the quality or state of being linear
Usage: technical

Examples

• The inheritance law required proof of lineality to the deceased.
• Questions of lineality arose during the estate settlement.
• The court examined the lineality of the claimant’s relationship to the testator.
• Genealogists traced the family’s lineality back five generations.
• The mathematical model demonstrated perfect lineality in its relationships.
• Lineality of descent was crucial in determining royal succession.