an ‧ ces ‧ tor /ˈænsəstə, -ses- $ -sestər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: ancestre , from Latin antecessor 'one who goes before' , from antecedere ; ⇨ ↑ antecedent ]
1 . a member of your family who lived a long time ago ⇨ descendant :
My ancestors were French.
2 . an animal that lived in the past, that modern animals have developed from:
Lions and house cats evolved from a common ancestor (=the same ancestor) .
3 . the form in which a modern machine, vehicle etc first existed SYN forerunner
ancestor of
Babbage’s invention was the ancestor of the modern computer.
—ancestral /ænˈsestrəl/ adjective :
the family’s ancestral home
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THESAURUS
▪ relative a member of your family, especially one who does not live with you:
Most of her relatives were able to come to the wedding.
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We have some distant relatives in Australia.
▪ relation a member of your family. Relation means the same as relative . It is often used when talking about whether someone is in the same family as another person:
Big cities can be lonely places if you have no friends or relations there.
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‘What relation is she to you?’ ‘She’s my half sister.’
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He’s no relation to the singer.
▪ descendant someone who is a family member of a person who lived and died a long time ago, for example the great-grandchild of that person:
The people are the descendants of slaves who were brought over from Africa.
▪ ancestor a member of your family who lived a long time ago, especially hundreds of years ago:
My ancestors originally came from Ireland.
▪ forefathers especially written people in your family who lived a long time ago - often used in historical descriptions:
His forefathers came to America over a century ago.
▪ extended family a family group that consists not only of parents and children, but also includes grandparents, aunts etc:
Extended families rarely live together in Britain, but they are still important.
▪ folks especially American English informal your family, especially your parents:
Are you going to see your folks at Christmas?
▪ next of kin the person or people who are most closely related to you, for example your husband or mother, and who need to be told if something serious happens to you:
The next of kin must be notified of his death before his name is released to the press.