ancestry

American  

[an-ses-tree, -suh-stree] / ˈæn sɛs tri, -sə stri /

noun

plural

ancestries

1. family or ancestral descent; lineage.

   Synonyms:

   stock, genealogy, pedigree

2. honorable or distinguished descent.

   famous by title and ancestry.

3. a series of ancestors.

   His ancestry settled Utah.

   Synonyms:

   line, family

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

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

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ancestry British  

/ ˈænsɛstrɪ /

noun

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

2. ancestors collectively

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Etymology

Origin of ancestry

1300–50; Middle English, equivalent to ancestre ancestor + -y ³; replacing Middle English aunce ( s ) trie < Anglo-French

Example Sentences

To investigate more broadly, the researchers analyzed the genomes of nearly 200 mice bred from eight different parental strains, including some with wild ancestry.

From Science Daily

Other works included The Real Thing, The Coast of Utopia, and his final play, Leopoldstadt, which drew on his Jewish ancestry.

From BBC

DNA analysis of two canid bones confirmed the animals were wolves rather than early dogs, with no signs of dog ancestry.

From Science Daily

The boxer's family is well known in the town and traces its ancestry there across several generations.

From BBC

In so doing, we may one day generate forests of trees whose ancestry does not intermingle with that of the species generated by the historic evolutionary process.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ancestor
• antecedent
• descent
• extraction
• forebear
• genealogy
• heritage
• lineage
• origin
• parentage