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ancestry

[ an-ses-tree or, esp. British, -suh-stree ]
/ ˈæn sɛs tri or, esp. British, -sə stri /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. ancaster,
  2. ancestor,
  3. ancestor worship,
  4. ancestral,
  5. ancestress,
  6. anch'ing,
  7. anchises,
  8. ancho,
  9. anchor,
  10. anchor baby

Origin of ancestry

1300–50; Middle English, equivalent to ancestre ancestor + -y3; replacing Middle English aunce(s)trie < Anglo-French
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ancestry

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
Word Origin and History for ancestry

ancestry

n.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper