family-tree theory

[fam-uh-lee tree, fam-lee-]

fam·i·ly-tree the·ory

[fam-uh-lee tree, fam-lee-]
noun Historical Linguistics.
a theory that describes language change in terms of genetically related languages developing in successive splits from a common parent language, such as Indo-European, as depicted by a family tree diagram.
Compare wave theory.


Origin:
1930–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To family-tree theory

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Family-tree theory has a plethora of syllables.
So is floccinaucinihilipilification. Does it mean:
a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C14H9Cl5, usually derived from chloral by reaction with chlorobenzene in the presence of fuming sulfuric acid: used as an insecticide and as a scabicide and pediculicide: agricultural use prohibited in the U.S.
the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).
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