Dictionary.com

ancestry

[ an-ses-tree or, especially British, -suh-stree ]
/ ˈæn sɛs tri or, especially British, -sə stri /
Save This Word!

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.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

Origin of ancestry

1300–50; Middle English, equivalent to ancestreancestor + -y3; replacing Middle English aunce(s)trie<Anglo-French
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ancestry in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK