This noun denotes a genealogy or record of family descent, the tracing of one's pedigree through ancestral lines. Classical Greek used it for the study or recording of lineages. In the New Testament, Paul uses it negatively in his pastoral epistles, warning against endless speculation about genealogies. He tells Timothy to command certain people not to teach different doctrines or 'give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes' (1 Tim 1:4), and later tells Titus to 'avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law' (Titus 3:9). The concern isn't with legitimate genealogical records (like those in Matthew and Luke) but with speculative, divisive teaching that generated controversy without spiritual profit.