a chart that indicates lines of descent, both paternal and maternal; the word comes from Latin pes (foot) and grus (crane), derived from a sign resembling a crane’s foot; the chart contains parallel lines which form boxes where births, deaths, marriages and sometimes locations are recorded, usually showing three to five generationsthose people that are born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively; usually a generation within families is considered about 20 years on a page
