ancestor
Americannoun
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a person from whom one is descended; forebear; progenitor.
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Biology. the actual or hypothetical form or stock from which an organism has developed or descended.
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an object, idea, style, or occurrence serving as a prototype, forerunner, or inspiration to a later one.
The balloon is an ancestor of the modern dirigible.
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a person who serves as an influence or model for another; one from whom mental, artistic, spiritual, etc., descent is claimed.
a philosophical ancestor.
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Law. a person from whom an heir derives an inheritance.
noun
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(often plural) a person from whom another is directly descended, esp someone more distant than a grandparent; forefather
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an early type of animal or plant from which a later, usually dissimilar, type has evolved
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a person or thing regarded as a forerunner of a later person or thing
the ancestor of the modern camera
Other Word Forms
- ancestress noun
Etymology
Origin of ancestor
1250–1300; Middle English ancestre < Old French (with t developed between s and r ) < Latin antecessor antecessor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I feel like I'm looking at the same sky my ancestors would have seen.
From BBC
Researchers at MIT have uncovered new chemical clues in extremely old rocks that suggest some of the earliest animals on Earth were likely ancestors of modern sea sponges.
From Science Daily
Releford, a podiatric surgeon, singer and author committed to reconnecting communities to land and food, often reflects on whether his ancestors would be proud.
From Los Angeles Times
Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many told reporters the return of the artefacts was a matter of "national pride" because the pieces "connect the national soul from our ancestors' era to the current time".
From Barron's
And for centuries too, Major Puff’s ancestors have led the way to victory each and every time.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
