many generations; successive generations
Rare literary noun used in classical or formal writing to refer to a long line of generations or an enduring family lineage. Not used in everyday speech.
Records of the family line spanning many generations remain.
A Sino-Japanese compound of 奕 (large, orderly, or successive) and 世 (generation, world). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning 'many generations'.