ancestor

American  

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

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

• ancestress noun

Etymology

Origin of ancestor

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

Example Sentences

Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many told reporters the return of the artefacts was a matter of "national pride" because the pieces "connect the national soul from our ancestors' era to the current time".

From Barron's

And for centuries too, Major Puff’s ancestors have led the way to victory each and every time.

From Literature

It is true that he is the first member of the royal family to be arrested since his ancestor King Charles I was tried and executed at Westminster in 1649.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Our ancestors were surely doing the same thing. It's the oldest winter sport in human history: long before skating or skiing, humans were already throwing snowballs at each other. That's its biggest appeal."

From Barron's

Writing in the journal Nature, the team focused on a group of microbes called Asgard archaea, which are considered close relatives of the ancestors of complex life.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• forebear
• forefather
• founder