1. in a direct line of descent from an ancestor
Usage: formal; legal
2. in a straight line
Usage: formal

Examples

• The property passes lineally from father to son.
• She is lineally descended from the original settlers.
• The inheritance moves lineally through the family line.
• He traced his ancestry lineally back five generations.
• The road runs lineally through the valley.
• The argument proceeds lineally from premise to conclusion.