ancestor

American  

[an-ses-ter, -suh-ster] / ˈæn sɛs tər, -sə stər /

noun

• ancestors
  plural

1. a person from whom one is descended; forebear; progenitor.

2. Biology. the actual or hypothetical form or stock from which an organism has developed or descended.

3. an object, idea, style, or occurrence serving as a prototype, forerunner, or inspiration to a later one.

   The balloon is an ancestor of the modern dirigible.

4. a person who serves as an influence or model for another; one from whom mental, artistic, spiritual, etc., descent is claimed.

   a philosophical ancestor.

5. Law. a person from whom an heir derives an inheritance.

---

ancestor British  

/ ˈænsɛstə /

noun

1. (often plural) a person from whom another is directly descended, esp someone more distant than a grandparent; forefather

2. an early type of animal or plant from which a later, usually dissimilar, type has evolved

3. a person or thing regarded as a forerunner of a later person or thing

   the ancestor of the modern camera

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ancestress
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ancestors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ancestor

1250–1300; Middle English ancestre < Old French (with t developed between s and r ) < Latin antecessor antecessor

Explanation

An ancestor came before. Your grandmother's grandmother and any relative before her is one of your ancestors. Ante-, a common Latin prefix, means "before." Cedere is Latin for "to go." So, an ancestor is someone who has gone before us. Evolutionary biologists have advanced the theory that all life on earth descends from a common ancestor. Ancestor can also mean "prototype" or "forerunner." The abacus is a distant ancestor of today's supercomputers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ancestor ancestors

Every living animal ultimately descends from a common ancestor that existed more than 600 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

"When we compare humans with primates, we are looking at abilities that may have come from a common ancestor," says senior author Laura Cuaya of the University of Vienna.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

"When we compare humans with other primates, we are looking at abilities that may have come from a common ancestor," Cuaya added.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The researchers say the use of touch to build trust and cooperation may date back at least seven million years, before humans, chimpanzees and bonobos split from a common ancestor.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

One became the ancestor of all chimpanzees, the other is our own grandmother.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

There’s lessons about learning from your mistakes, honoring your ancestors and loving yourself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

"The more we learn about our ancestors and close fossil relatives, the more we realize how complex and non-linear our family tree is," Dr. Towle said.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

"I think that the transatlantic slave trade was the greatest crime against humanity, and ancestors also took part as players in that trade," says the king.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

The ancestors of Indigenous Andeans already possessed different numbers of AMY1 copies before settling in the highlands and domesticating potatoes.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

“One of Lord Fredrick’s ancestors was an admiral, known for his seafaring adventures,” she thought.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• forebear
• forefather
• founder