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ancestor - 5 dictionary results
an⋅ces⋅tor
[an-ses-ter or, especially Brit., -suh-ster] 
sɛs
–noun
| 1. | a person from whom one is descended; forebear; progenitor. |
| 2. | Biology. the actual or hypothetical form or stock from which an organism has developed or descended. |
| 3. | an object, idea, style, or occurrence serving as a prototype, forerunner, or inspiration to a later one: The balloon is an ancestor of the modern dirigible. |
| 4. | a person who serves as an influence or model for another; one from whom mental, artistic, spiritual, etc., descent is claimed: a philosophical ancestor. |
| 5. | Law. a person from whom an heir derives an inheritance. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To ancestor
| an·ces·tor (ān'sěs'tər) n.
[Middle English auncestre, from Old French, from Latin antecessor, predecessor, from antecessus, past participle of antecēdere, to precede : ante-, ante- + cēdere, to go; see ked- in Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: These nouns denote a person from whom one is descended: ancestors who were farmers; land once owned by his forebears; laws handed down from our forefathers; our progenitors' wisdom. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Ancestor
An"ces*tor\, n. [OE. ancestre, auncestre, also ancessour; the first forms fr. OF. ancestre, F. anc[^e]tre, fr. the L. nom. antessor one who goes before; the last form fr. OF. ancessor, fr. L. acc. antecessorem, fr. antecedere to go before; ante before + cedere to go. See Cede, and cf. Antecessor.]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 fore father. 2. (Biol.) An earlier type; a progenitor; as, this fossil animal is regarded as the ancestor of the horse. 3. (Law) One from whom an estate has descended; -- the correlative of heir.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : ancestor
Spanish:
antepasado; antepasada,
German:
der, *die Vorfahr(in),
Japanese:
祖先
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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