Meaning & use
common ancestor
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Meanings
nouncountablebiology
An earlier organism or species from which two or more later species or groups are descended.
Grammar: Countable; often used with an or the, and can be plural: common ancestors.
Patterns
- share a common ancestor
- descend from a common ancestor
- the common ancestor of something
Birds and dinosaurs share a common ancestor.
Scientists believe that all mammals evolved from a common ancestor.
The common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees lived millions of years ago.
nouncountable
A person from whom two or more people are descended, especially in family history.
Grammar: Countable; used in genealogy to talk about shared family origins.
Patterns
- a common ancestor of someone
- trace back to a common ancestor
My cousin and I share a common ancestor from Ireland.
Many people in the village are related through a common ancestor.
Word forms
| plural | common ancestors |
|---|
Common combinations
- share a common ancestor
- All these languages share a common ancestor.
- evolve from a common ancestor
- Whales evolved from a common ancestor that lived on land.
- the last common ancestor
- The last common ancestor of humans and Neanderthals lived in Africa.
- descended from a common ancestor
- These two bird species are descended from a common ancestor.
Commonly confused: common ancestor or direct ancestor?
common ancestor vs direct ancestor
A direct ancestor is a person you are descended from in a straight line, while a common ancestor is shared by two or more lines.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'common ancestor' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'share a common ancestor' is standard. Option 2 is wrong because a common ancestor is not a descendant; option 3 reverses the relationship.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “common ancestor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.