foreparent
One who preceded
A foreparent is an ancestor—someone from whom you are descended.
The term is a gender-neutral alternative to forefather: Our foreparents came to this country seeking religious freedom.
Less common than ancestor or forefather, it appears mainly in contexts seeking inclusive language.
Ancestral family member
- primogenitorEarliest ancestor of lineage
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- antecedentSomething that precedes
- patriarchMale head of family
matriarch · elder · begetter · sire · dam · genitor · procreator · predecessor
First to forge ahead
- pathfinderOne who discovers routes
- founderOne who begins something
- settlerOne who colonizes territory
- frontiersmanSettler of wild borders
explorer · colonist · homesteader · emigrant · immigrant · founding father · founding mother · matrilineal
Chart of ancestors
- pedigreeRecord of descent
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
descent · roots · kinship · clan · tribe · dynasty · house · surnames
Custom passed through generations
- cultureCollective social practices
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- legacyWhat's passed down
heirloom · folklore · rituals · mythology · homeland · motherland · fatherland · ancestral land
forebear
Ancestral family member
- primogenitorEarliest ancestor of lineage
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- antecedentSomething that precedes
patriarch · matriarch · elder · begetter · sire · dam · genitor · procreator · predecessor · precursor
trailblazer
First to forge ahead
- pathfinderOne who discovers routes
- founderOne who begins something
- settlerOne who colonizes territory
frontiersman · explorer · colonist · homesteader · emigrant · immigrant · founding father · founding mother · matrilineal · patrilineal
family tree
Chart of ancestors
bloodline · descent · roots · kinship · clan · tribe · dynasty · house · surnames · relations
tradition
Custom passed through generations
- cultureCollective social practices
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
legacy · heirloom · folklore · rituals · mythology · homeland · motherland · fatherland · ancestral land · preservation
foreparentdescendant
Person from earlier generations
offspring · progeny · grandchild · great-grandchild · posterity