ancestry
AN-ses-tree
/ˈæn.ses.tri/
One's family or ethnic descent.
Refers to the whole collective of people you are descended from, often going back many centuries.
The story behind the word. From the Old French 'ancestre,' which came from the Latin 'antecessor'—literally 'one who goes before.' It shares the same root as 'predecessor.'
Word relationships
- lineage: Lineage is the specific line of descent; ancestry is the broad background of all your forebears.
- posterity: Posterity refers to all future generations (those who come after you).
Commonly confused with
- heritage: Ancestry is who you are related to; heritage is the culture and property they left for you.
Word family
- ancestor (noun): A person from whom one is descended.
- ancestral (adjective): Belonging to or inherited from an ancestor.
Collocations
- trace one's ancestry
- common ancestry
- mixed ancestry
Example sentences
- "He is of Italian ancestry, though he has never visited Italy." Personal history.
- "She spent years researching her ancestry to find out where her great-grandparents came from." Genealogy.
Memory hook
Ancestry is like a 'tree' (similar sound) of people who came before. Those who went before.
When not to use
Don't use it for your immediate parents; use 'parents' or 'family'.
Fun facts
- Genetic ancestry testing can now pinpoint which regions of the world your DNA comes from.
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