Meaning & use
ancestor
A person from whom one is descended, typically more distant than a grandparent.
See it in a sentence
Her ancestors emigrated from Ireland to Boston during the great famine of the 1840s.
Scientists believe humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor from millions of years ago.
A note on using this word
Can also refer to an early form of something, as in 'the ancestor of the modern computer.'
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
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