ancestry

[ an-ses-tree or, especially British, -suh-stree ]
See synonyms for ancestry on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural an·ces·tries.
  1. family or ancestral descent; lineage.

  2. honorable or distinguished descent: famous by title and ancestry.

  1. a series of ancestors: His ancestry settled Utah.

  2. the inception or origin of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style.

  3. the history or developmental process of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style.

Origin of ancestry

1
1300–50; Middle English, equivalent to ancestreancestor + -y3; replacing Middle English aunce(s)trie<Anglo-French

Other words for ancestry

Words Nearby ancestry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ancestry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ancestry

ancestry

/ (ˈænsɛstrɪ) /


nounplural -tries
  1. lineage or descent, esp when ancient, noble, or distinguished

  2. ancestors collectively

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012