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ancestress

American  
[an-ses-tris, -suh-stris] / ˈæn sɛs trɪs, -sə strɪs /

noun

  1. a woman from whom a person is descended.


Gender

What's the difference between ancestress and ancestor? See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of ancestress

First recorded in 1570–80; ancest(o)r + -ess


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.

See Examples For:

The chief of the sacred treasures of Japan is the mirror which contains the spirit of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, ancestress of H. I. M. The Emperor of Japan.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week she followed her ancestress Sheba to Jerusalem.

From Time Magazine Archive

The spider in Little Miss Muffitt and the lupine ancestress in Little Red Riding Hood breed fear-complexes.

From Time Magazine Archive

A jewel box of a biography of the incomparable Sarah Churchill, wife to the hero of Blenheim, ancestress of Sir Winston.

From Time Magazine Archive

Polyneices won her over to his side by bribing her with the wonderful necklace that had been the wedding gift of his ancestress Harmonia, and she made her husband go to the war.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

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