ancestor

noun

an·​ces·​tor ˈan-ˌse-stər 

 also  -sə-

1

a

: one from whom a person is descended and who is usually more remote in the line of descent than a grandparent

Her ancestors came to America in the 1880s.

b

: forefather sense 2

2

: forerunner, prototype

an exhibit of the ancestors of the modern computer

3

: a progenitor (see progenitor sense 1b) of a more recent or existing species or group

the ancestor of the modern horse

Synonyms

• father
• forebear
• forbear
• forebearer
• forefather
• grandfather
• primogenitor
• progenitor

Examples of ancestor in a Sentence

My ancestors came to America during the 1800s.

Her ancestors were great sea captains.

an ancient animal that was the ancestor of the modern horse

The museum included an exhibit showing ancestors of the modern computer.

several languages that are derived from a common ancestor

Latin is the ancestor of Italian and French.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hybrids between some species can produce new butterfly species that are genetically distinct from both parent species and their earlier ancestors. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 17 Apr. 2024

There are some subtle updates to distinguish the new models from their ancestors, however. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024

Because reptiles are our evolutionary predecessors, some researchers long believed that this instinctual part of the brain was the only part that originated with our scaly ancestors — and that without human-like brain structures, reptiles didn’t have the capacity for emotions at all. —Lily Carey, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, Linker reports, paleoanthropologists quietly working in places other than TikTok have begun to revise the popular idea that our ancient ancestors did not get aches and pains in their backs. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Elephants cannot breathe through their mouths like other land mammals – a trait inherited from their aquatic ancestors. —Matjaž Krivic, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024

And that’s where Martin Scorcese’s ancestors came from. —As Told To Vogue, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024

Edward Norton discovered Pocahontas is an ancestor of his. —Christopher Brito, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024

The Kings came to the National Civil Rights Museum together as a family for the first time last summer to give Yolanda, MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott King’s only grandchild, a space to have intimate moments with her ancestors. —Dhanika Pineda, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ancestre, from Anglo-French, from Latin antecessor predecessor, from antecedere to go before, from ante- + cedere to go

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ancestor

• ancestor worship

Kids Definition

ancestor

noun

an·​ces·​tor ˈan-ˌses-tər 

1

: one from whom an individual, group, or species is descended

2

: something from which something else has developed : forerunner

Etymology

Middle English ancestre "ancestor," from early French ancestre (same meaning), from Latin antecessor "one that goes before," derived from earlier antecedere "to go before," from ante- "before" and cedere "to go, yield" — related to concede, predecessor

Legal Definition

ancestor

noun

an·​ces·​tor

1

a

: a person from whom an individual is descended : ascendant

b

: a person from whom an estate descends compare heir

2

: one that precedes

ancestor in title