ancestors

Noun

ancestor (plural ancestors)

1. 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.
   • Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.2013 July 20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2023

   Synonyms:

   forebear, fore-elder, forefather

2. An earlier type; a progenitor.
   • This fossil animal is regarded as the ancestor of the horse.
3. One from whom an estate has descended;—the correlative of heir.
4. (figuratively) One who had the same role or function in former times.
   • The Magpies are unbeaten and enjoying their best run since 1994, although few would have thought the class of 2011 would come close to emulating their ancestors.2011 October 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Wolverhampton 1-2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2024

   Synonyms:

   predecessor

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

   Synonyms:

   reflex, source, origin

See all 6 meanings of ancestor