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

Published in Nature, the study sheds new light on African populations that lived close to the evolutionary branch leading to Homo sapiens and helps clarify the shared ancestry of H. sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.

From Science Daily

Many citizens of the former U.S.S.R., especially Belarusian citizens, enjoy special benefits in Poland if they manage to prove Polish ancestry.

From The Wall Street Journal

They found that people with ancestry from the north-west of Ireland have the highest risk of developing haemochromatosis, with one in 54 people estimated to carry the genetic variant.

From BBC

"I am Ghanaian by ancestry and adoption," she says with pride.

From BBC

On his website, Frost noted his “diverse heritage with roots in Puerto Rican, Lebanese, and Haitian ancestry.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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