ancestor
Americannoun
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a person from whom one is descended; forebear; progenitor.
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Biology. the actual or hypothetical form or stock from which an organism has developed or descended.
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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.
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a person who serves as an influence or model for another; one from whom mental, artistic, spiritual, etc., descent is claimed.
a philosophical ancestor.
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Law. a person from whom an heir derives an inheritance.
noun
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(often plural) a person from whom another is directly descended, esp someone more distant than a grandparent; forefather
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an early type of animal or plant from which a later, usually dissimilar, type has evolved
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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
Etymology
Origin of ancestor
1250–1300; Middle English ancestre < Old French (with t developed between s and r ) < Latin antecessor antecessor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both 72, they call the event Los Tradicionales — “the traditional ones” — because their goal is to help preserve Cuba’s rich dance heritage, from rumba to timba to casino, an ancestor of salsa.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
In this single lake, more than 800 species have emerged from a shared ancestor in far less time than it took humans and chimpanzees to diverge.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
Lord Courtenay entered the upper chamber in 2018 after inheriting his late father's title, which was first given to a distant ancestor in 1142, almost 900 years ago.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
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 • Feb. 23, 2026
“In the old days, he committed horrible crimes. He used his gift of sight for evil. Jupiter sent the harpies to plague him. The Argonauts—including your ancestor, by the way—” “The prince of Pylos?”
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
