founding family
First ruling lineage
A founding family is one whose ancestors established something that still exists—a town, company, institution, or nation.
The term carries prestige, implying inherited status and historical significance: The Rockefellers are a founding family of American philanthropy.
In American politics, founding families often trace lineage to those who signed the Declaration or drafted the Constitution.
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- patriarchMale head of family
- matriarchFemale family leader
- heirOne who receives legacy
legacy · estate · ancestry · bloodline · blue blood · namesake · fortune · mansion · portrait · robber baron · inheritance · aristocracy · old guard · pedigree · old money · landed gentry · trust fund · genealogy
- professional heritagetrade secrets, apprenticeship, master craftsman, journeyman
- lineageancestry, royal dynasties, bloodline, noble houses, dynasty
- notablesleaders, celebrities, dignitary, rulers, VIPs
- Fantasy Lineagesdivine ancestry, noble house, dynasty, cursed bloodline, dragon blood
founding familynewcomers
Those recently arrived
latecomers · new arrivals · arrivistes · immigrant family · immigrants
founding familyrank and file
Ordinary members collectively
outsiders · non-members · hangers-on · nobodies · the unknown
founding familytransients
Temporary occupants or travelers
drifters · itinerants · displaced families · temporary residents · fly-by-nights
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