Family / B2

ANS-est-uh/ˈænsestə/

An ancestor is a person in your family who lived long before you — grandparents and further back. Relative is anyone in the family now; descendant is the opposite direction (you are their descendant). Forebear is a literary cousin. Ancestry and ancestral are related words. In speech, my family came from… often replaces a lecture on ancestors.

Meaning

A person in your family who lived a long time ago.

Examples

• “Her ancestors came from Ireland.”
• “One of her ancestors taught in this same school.”
• “They traced their ancestors through parish records.”

Good to know

an ancestor. Opposite: descendant. Everyday: family from the past. Related: ancestry.

Near in meaning

forebear

Topics

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