ancestry

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

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.

Origin of ancestry

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

Synonyms for ancestry

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1. pedigree, genealogy, stock. 3. family, line.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ancestry

origin, parentage, descent, genealogy, antecedent, forebear, extraction, heritage, lineage, ancestor, progenitor, race, pedigree, forefather, precursor, house, breed, kindred, source, forerunner

Examples from the Web for ancestry

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of ancestry

His ancestry is among the most honorable known in American society.
Cleveland Past and Present
Maurice Joblin
If you study your characteristics and talents 26 you find that they repeat those of your ancestry.
Almost A Man
Mary Wood-Allen
We were shunned everywhere by both races from which we trace our ancestry.
Lords of the Stratosphere
Arthur J. Burks
Think not I am going to say that you put to shame in any way your ancestry—far from it.
Anabasis
Xenophon
Still, for all this irritating abuse Vulp had only himself and his ancestry to blame.
Creatures of the Night
Alfred W. Rees

British Dictionary definitions for ancestry

ancestry

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

Word Origin and History for ancestry

early 14c., from Old French ancesserie "ancestry, ancestors, forefathers," from ancestre (see ancestor); spelling modified in English by influence of ancestor.