ancestor
One who came before
An ancestor is a person from whom one is descended—a parent, grandparent, or anyone further back in a family line.
The term extends beyond biology to predecessors in any lineage: Our ancestors built this country.
Ancestor also applies to earlier versions of things: The harpsichord is an ancestor of the piano.
The adjective is ancestral.
Ancestor from generations past
- foremotherFemale forebear
- forebearAncestral family member
- patriarchMale head of family
- matriarchFemale family leader
grandparent · great-grandparent · elder · predecessor · sire · dam · bloodline · genealogy
Long-established customs passed down
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- heirloomsObjects passed through family lines
- legacyWhat's passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
birthright · patrimony · roots · culture · folklore · veneration · offerings · remembrance
Something that comes first
- missing linkUndiscovered ancestral connection
- hominidBipedal primate family
- primateHigher mammal order member
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
prehistoric · ancient · primordial · species · descent · lineage · Darwin · phylogeny
Something that comes first
- forerunnerOne that comes before
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
- originatorOne who initiates
pioneer · predecessor · template · original · source · foundation · genesis · inception
forefather
Ancestor from generations past
- foremotherFemale forebear
- forebearAncestral family member
- patriarchMale head of family
matriarch · grandparent · great-grandparent · elder · predecessor · sire · dam · bloodline · genealogy · family tree
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- heirloomsObjects passed through family lines
- legacyWhat's passed down
customs · birthright · patrimony · roots · culture · folklore · veneration · offerings · remembrance · filial piety
precursor
Something that comes first
- missing linkUndiscovered ancestral connection
- hominidBipedal primate family
- primateHigher mammal order member
fossil · prehistoric · ancient · primordial · species · descent · lineage · Darwin · phylogeny · evolution
precursor
Something that comes first
- forerunnerOne that comes before
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
- prototypeFirst functional specimen
originator · pioneer · predecessor · template · original · source · foundation · genesis · inception
- peoplepeople, persons, person, individuals, humans
- kinshipmother, father, sister, brother, children
- ancestorsforebears, forebear, forbear, forbears, forefather
- ancestrykinship, clan, bloodline, dynasty, forefather
- family themesmother figure, father figure, parent, child, brother
- lineageroyal dynasties, bloodline, noble houses, dynasty, genealogy
ancestorsuccessor
One who replaces another
derivative · descendant · offshoot · outgrowth · spin-off
- ancestry researchInvestigating familial origins
- Scottish ancestryDescent from Scotland
- ancestry recordsDocuments tracing family lineage
- Mexican ancestryDescent from Mexico
- ancestral homeFamily's original dwelling place
- common ancestorOrigin point of descendants
ancestry, ancestors, ancestral, ancestress, ancestor worship