ancestor

noun

One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a forefather; a forebear.

(law) One from whom an estate has descended;—the correlative of heir.

An earlier type; a progenitor

(figuratively) One who had the same role or function in former times.

(linguistics) A word or phrase which serves as the origin of a term in another language.

verb

(transitive) To be an ancestor of.

Roots

antean- · Latin · before cedo-cest · Latin · go, yield

Synonyms for ancestor

forebearn forefathern primogenitorn ancestressn progenitorn grandparentn ascendantn antecedentn

Synonyms & related words for ancestor

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of ancestor — including forebear, forefather, primogenitor, ancestress, progenitor, grandparent. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to ancestor

Explore words related to ancestor — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include ancestral, ancestry, descendant, ancestrally, lineage, patrilineage, matrilineage, grandfathers. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for ancestor

Common synonyms for ancestor include forebear, forefather, primogenitor, ancestress, progenitor, grandparent, ascendant, antecedent — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does ancestor come from?

The word ancestor breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: an-, from Latin ante (“before”); and -cest, from Latin cedo (“go, yield”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.