[an-ses-tree or, especially Brit., -suh-stree] 
| 1. | family or ancestral descent; lineage. |
| 2. | honorable or distinguished descent: famous by title and ancestry. |
| 3. | a series of ancestors: His ancestry settled Utah. |
| 4. | the inception or origin of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style. |
| 5. | the history or developmental process of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style. |
| an·ces·try (ān'sěs'trē) n. pl. an·ces·tries
[Middle English auncestrie, alteration (influenced by auncestre) of Old French ancesserie, from ancessour, ancestor, from Latin antecessor; see ancestor.] |
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