ancestor

[an-ses-ter, -suh-ster]

noun

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

/ 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

• ancestress noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ancestor¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ancestor¹

C13: from Old French ancestre, from Late Latin antecēssor one who goes before, from Latin antecēdere; see _antecede

Example Sentences

It’s about nourishing your spirit, taking care of your body, honoring your ancestors, and staying in balance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The group had previously said they were reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors 400 years ago and refused to recognise the powers of the courts to evict them.

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Leakey, Goodall made history in 1960 when she discovered that chimpanzees, humankind’s closest living ancestors, made and used tools, characteristics that scientists had long thought were exclusive to humans.

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My mother fled Laos as a refugee during the bombings, a fact that, in turn, led me to learn more about my father’s ancestors in Stuttgart and what they might have faced.

Read more on Salon

While back in his ancestors' hometown, Rooney announced two scholarships for local pupils via the Ireland Funds, along with grants for their schools.

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Related Words

• forebear 
• forefather 
• founder