ancestor
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English
Etymology
Middle English ancestre, auncestre, also ancessour; the first forms from Old French ancestre, French ancêtre, from the Latin nom. antecessor one who goes before; the last form from Old French ancessor, from Latin acc. antecessorem, from antecedere to go before; ante before + cedere to go. See cede, and compare with antecessor.
Pronunciation
Noun
ancestor (plural ancestors) (female ancestress)
- One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a fore father.
- (Biology) An earlier type; a progenitor
- This fossil animal is regarded as the ancestor of the horse.
- (Law) One from whom an estate has descended;—the correlative of heir.
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