an·ces·tral

[an-ses-truhl]
adjective
1.
pertaining to ancestors; descending or claimed from ancestors: an ancestral home.
2.
serving as a forerunner, prototype, or inspiration.

Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English aunce(s)trel < Middle French, equivalent to ancestre ancestor + -el -al1

an·ces·tral·ly, adverb
non·an·ces·tral, adjective
non·an·ces·tral·ly, adverb
pseu·do·an·ces·tral, adjective
pseu·do·an·ces·tral·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To ancestral
00:10
Ancestral is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
ancestral (ænˈsɛstrəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  of, inherited from, or derived from ancestors: his ancestral home
 
n
2.  logic a relation that holds between x and y if there is a chain of instances of a given relation leading from x to y. Thus the ancestral of parent of is ancestor of, since x is the ancestor of y if and only if x is a parent of…a parent of…a parent of y
 
an'cestrally
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ancestral
1520s, from O.Fr. ancestrel (Anglo-Fr. auncestrel), from ancestre (see ancestor).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
He is not notably nepotistic and has not favored his ancestral village or
  immediate family.
But on the origin of those species-exactly how one ancestral species divides
  into many-the book is largely silent.
They must have a capacity to draw on past experience, including ancestral
  experience.
They will find a way to keep the ancestral spirits alive.
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