ˈanˌsestrē, ˈaan-, -ri, Brit usually & US sometimes -_sə̇s- noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English ancestrie, modification (influenced by Middle English ancestre ancestor) of Middle French ancesserie, from Old French, from ancessour ancestor + -ie -y — more at ancestor
1.
a. : line of descent : genealogical succession : lineage
a Mexican proud of his pure Spanish ancestry
specifically : good birth : honorable, noble, or aristocratic descent
an upstart society without breeding or ancestry
b. : persons initiating or comprising a line of descent : ancestors
farmers still using methods employed by their colonial ancestry
2.
a. : material inception (as of an object or phenomenon)
a mountain of volcanic ancestry
b. : developmental process : history
radical politics had a far longer ancestry than most people had thought — Times Literary Supplement
Synonyms:
ancestry , lineage , pedigree are often used interchangeably to designate one's progenitors or their total quality or character, often distinguished or notable. ancestry , however, usually connotes the treelike family branchings and ramifications as symbolized on a chart showing one's relation to progenitors through parental lines
came of distinguished Scotch, Welsh, and Huguenot ancestry settled in the Carolinas before the Revolution — Allan Westcott
lineage stresses descent in line, suggesting an order of persons descending from a single ancestor, though each may have a different ancestry
a family which traced its lineage from a Cavalier who came to America — Americana Annual
his mother … traced her lineage to Miles Standish, John and Priscilla Alden, and George Soule, of the Mayflower group — C.J.Kraemer
pedigree implies a known and recorded ancestry, usually distinguished or notable
accustomed when making his marriage alliances to seek out pedigree as well as fortune in his wives — L.G.Pine
son of a local baronet with a bank balance that makes up for lack of pedigree — Richard Harrison
a champion show dog with a champion's pedigree