Ancestor Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

ANCESTOR meaning: 1 : a person who was in someone's family in past times one of the people from whom a person is descended; 2 : an animal in the past from ... TheBritannicaDictionary mobilesearch Home AsktheEditor WordoftheDay Quizzes CoreVocabulary BrowsetheDictionary × BritannicaHomepage AsktheEditor WordoftheDay Quizzes CoreVocabulary BrowsetheDictionary TheBritannicaDictionary ancestor 1ENTRIESFOUND: ancestor(noun) ancestor /ˈænˌsɛstɚ/ noun plural ancestors ancestor /ˈænˌsɛstɚ/ noun plural ancestors BritannicaDictionarydefinitionofANCESTOR [count] 1  : apersonwhowasinsomeone'sfamilyinpasttimes : oneofthepeoplefromwhomapersonisdescended MyancestorscametoAmericaduringthe1800s. Herancestorsweregreatseacaptains. [+]moreexamples [-]hideexamples [+]Examplesentences [-]Hideexamples 2  : ananimalinthepastfromwhichamodernanimaldeveloped anancientanimalthatwastheancestorofthemodernhorse [+]moreexamples [-]hideexamples [+]Examplesentences [-]Hideexamples 3  : somethinginthepastfromwhichsomethingelsehasdeveloped Themuseumincludedanexhibitshowingancestorsofthemoderncomputer. severallanguagesthatarederivedfromacommonancestor LatinistheancestorofItalianandFrench. [+]moreexamples [-]hideexamples [+]Examplesentences [-]Hideexamples —ancestral /ænˈsɛstrəl/ adjective Wereturnedtoourancestralhome[=thehomeofourancestors]aftermanyyears. [+]moreexamples [-]hideexamples [+]Examplesentences [-]Hideexamples ASKTHEEDITOR Whatarethepluralformsofcheck-in,passerby,andspoonful? Seetheanswer» QUIZZES VocabularyQuiz Testyourwordpower TaketheQuiz» NameThatThing Takeourvisualquiz TestYourKnowledge» WORDOFTHEDAY condemn :tosayinastronganddefinitewaythatsomeoneorsomethingisbadorwrong LearnMore» AboutUs&LegalInfo PartnerProgram ContactUs PrivacyNotice TermsofUse PronunciationSymbols Help ©2022EncyclopædiaBritannica,Inc.