ancestry

[ an-ses-tree or, esp. British, -suh-stree ]

/ ˈæn sɛs tri or, esp. British, -sə stri /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ancestry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural an·ces·tries.

family or ancestral descent; lineage.

honorable or distinguished descent: famous by title and ancestry.

a series of ancestors: His ancestry settled Utah.

the inception or origin of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style.

the history or developmental process of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style.

Nearby words

ancaster, ancestor, ancestor worship, ancestral, ancestress, ancestry, anch'ing, anchises, ancho, anchor, anchor baby

Origin of ancestry

1300–50; Middle English, equivalent to ancestre ancestor + -y³; replacing Middle English aunce(s)trie < Anglo-French

SYNONYMS FOR ancestry

1 pedigree, genealogy, stock.

3 family, line.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ancestry ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ancestry

Our parents both had almond eyes, almost Asian-looking, and yet our ancestry was Irish and German.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’|Eileen Cronin|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That meant the Clovis child should have been of European ancestry.
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The central issue of Kennewick Man was his ancestry: Was he of European origin?
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Diana found to have Irish ancestry - so will William, Kate and baby George now visit the Emerald Isle?
Princess Diana's Irish Roots|Tom Sykes|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But for anyone curious enough to ask, she cited a mixed Native American ancestry.
American Gypsies Are a Persecuted Minority That Is Starting to Fight Back|Nina Strochlic|December 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ruth M—— was a college junior with ancestry and wealth, brilliant, sarcastic, selfish.
The Girl and Her Religion|Margaret Slattery
This man came of Scottish ancestry, the earliest records of the family dating from 1547.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 4 of 8|Various
With regard to the origin of the group, the probability is greatly in favour of a Rhizopod ancestry.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3|Various
Borrow's ancestry was pure Cornish on one side, and on the other mainly French.'
George Borrow and His Circle|Clement King Shorter
Beethoven, with the strenuousness that came from his Rhenish ancestry, was more intractable, impatient of interference.
Beethoven|George Alexander Fischer

British Dictionary definitions for ancestry

ancestry

/ (ˈænsɛstrɪ) /

noun plural -tries

lineage or descent, esp when ancient, noble, or distinguished

ancestors collectively

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012