Cryptic crossword clue
Returning desire for example to include a record study of trees 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word GENEALOGY

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
G
E
N
E
A
L
O
G
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "study of trees" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case study of trees = genealogy.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does GENEALOGY mean?

GENEALOGY noun
  1. The descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; lineage or pedigree.
  2. A record or table of such descent; a family tree.
  3. The study, and formal recording of such descents.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations