ancestor

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• General-American: /ˈæn.sɛs.tɚ/
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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈæn.sɛs.tə/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• CMU ARPABET: AE1 N S EH2 S T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h2énts Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *h2énti Proto-Italic *anti Latin ante Latin ante- Latin cedo Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin antecessor Anglo-Norman auncestrebor. Middle English auncestre English ancestor From Middle English ancestre, auncestre, ancessour; the first forms from Old French ancestre (modern French ancêtre), from the Latin nominative antecessor (“one who goes before”); the last form from Old French ancessor, from Latin antecessōrem, accusative of antecessor, from antecēdō (“to go before”) + -tor (“-er”), from ante- (“before”) + cēdō (“to go”). See cede, and compare with antecessor.

202 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Acehnese: indatu — one from whom a person is descended
• Afrikaans: voorouer — one from whom a person is descended
• Arabic: سَلَف (salaf) — one from whom a person is descended
• Armenian: նախնի (naxni) — one from whom a person is descended
• Armenian: նախահայր (naxahayr) — one from whom a person is descended
• Azerbaijani: ata-baba — one from whom a person is descended
• Azerbaijani: əcdad — one from whom a person is descended
• Bashkir: ата-баба (ata-baba) — one from whom a person is descended
• Belarusian: про́дак (pródak) — one from whom a person is descended
• Breton: gourdad — one from whom a person is descended
• Bulgarian: праоте́ц (praotéc) — one from whom a person is descended
• Bulgarian: прароди́тел (prarodítel) — one from whom a person is descended
• Bulgarian: предшественик (predšestvenik) — one from whom a person is descended
• Catalan: avantpassat — one from whom a person is descended
• Catalan: ancestre — one from whom a person is descended
• Catalan: antecessor — one from whom a person is descended
• Chamicuro: ka'nil sheye — one from whom a person is descended
• Chinese Cantonese: 祖先 (jou2 sin1) — one from whom a person is descended
• Eastern Min Chinese: 祖先 (cū-sĕng) — one from whom a person is descended
• Chinese Mandarin: 祖先 (zǔxiān) — one from whom a person is descended
• Min Nan Chinese: 祖先 (chó͘-sian) — one from whom a person is descended
• Maore Comorian: mudzaɗe — one from whom a person is descended
• Cornish: hendas — one from whom a person is descended
• Crimean Tatar: ecdat — one from whom a person is descended
• Czech: předek — one from whom a person is descended
• Danish: forfader — one from whom a person is descended
• Danish: stamfader — one from whom a person is descended
• Dutch: voorouder — one from whom a person is descended
• Esperanto: praulo — one from whom a person is descended
• Estonian: esivanem — one from whom a person is descended
• Ewe: tɔgbui — one from whom a person is descended
• Farefare: sɔa — one from whom a person is descended
• Farefare: yaaba — one from whom a person is descended
• Faroese: forfaðir — one from whom a person is descended
• Finnish: esi-isä — one from whom a person is descended
• Finnish: esivanhempi — one from whom a person is descended
• French: ancêtre — one from whom a person is descended
• Galician: devanceiro — one from whom a person is descended
• Galician: antergo — one from whom a person is descended
• Galician: antenado — one from whom a person is descended
• Galician: antecesor — one from whom a person is descended
• Georgian: წინაპარი (c̣inaṗari) — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Vorfahr — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Vorfahrin — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Ahn — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Ahne — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Ahne — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Ahnin — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Urahn — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Urahne — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Urahne — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Stammvater — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Stammmutter — one from whom a person is descended
• German: Familiengründer — one from whom a person is descended
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐌶𐌰 (airiza) — one from whom a person is descended
• Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — one from whom a person is descended
• Greek: προπάτορας (propátoras) — one from whom a person is descended
• Ancient Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — one from whom a person is descended
• Ancient Greek: γενέτης (genétēs) — one from whom a person is descended
• Hindi: पूर्वज (pūrvaj) — one from whom a person is descended
• Hungarian: ős — one from whom a person is descended
• Hungarian: előd — one from whom a person is descended
• Hungarian: felmenő — one from whom a person is descended
• Ido: ancestro — one from whom a person is descended
• Indonesian: leluhur — one from whom a person is descended
• Indonesian: moyang — one from whom a person is descended
• Irish: sinsear — one from whom a person is descended
• Irish: sinsearach — one from whom a person is descended
• Italian: antenato — one from whom a person is descended
• Italian: ascendente — one from whom a person is descended
• Italian: avo — one from whom a person is descended
• Italian: abiatico — one from whom a person is descended
• Italian: progenitore — one from whom a person is descended
• Japanese: 先祖 (senzo) — one from whom a person is descended
• Japanese: 祖先 (sosen) — one from whom a person is descended
• Judeo-Italian: פַאטֵירוֹ — one from whom a person is descended
• Korean: 조상 (josang) — one from whom a person is descended
• Korean: 선조 (seonjo) — one from whom a person is descended
• Central Kurdish: با و باپیر (ba û bapîr) — one from whom a person is descended
• Lao: ບັນພະບຸລຸດ (ban pha bu lut) — one from whom a person is descended
• Lao: ບັນພະບູລຸດ (ban pha bū lut) — one from whom a person is descended
• Latin: progenitor — one from whom a person is descended
• Latin: progenitrix — one from whom a person is descended
• Latin: avus — one from whom a person is descended
• Latin: ava — one from whom a person is descended
• Latvian: sencis — one from whom a person is descended
• Latvian: sence — one from whom a person is descended
• Lithuanian: protėvis — one from whom a person is descended
• Lutuv: nungpaa — one from whom a person is descended
• Macedonian: предок (predok) — one from whom a person is descended
• Malay: nenek moyang — one from whom a person is descended
• Malay: leluhur — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: kohika — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: kahika — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: whātua — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: tīpuna — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: tūpuna — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: kauwheke — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: heinga — one from whom a person is descended
• Māori: pūtake — one from whom a person is descended
• Marathi: पूर्वज (pūrvaj) — one from whom a person is descended
• Middle English: auncestre — one from whom a person is descended
• Moore: yaaba — one from whom a person is descended
• Norman: anchêtre — one from whom a person is descended
• Norwegian Bokmål: forfader — one from whom a person is descended
• Norwegian Bokmål: stamfar — one from whom a person is descended
• Norwegian Nynorsk: forfar — one from whom a person is descended
• Norwegian Nynorsk: forfader — one from whom a person is descended
• Norwegian Nynorsk: stamfar — one from whom a person is descended
• Occitan: ancessor — one from whom a person is descended
• Old English: ieldra — one from whom a person is descended
• Old Turkic: 𐰯𐰀 (apa) — one from whom a person is descended
• Persian: نیا (niyā) — one from whom a person is descended
• Persian: پیشینیان (pīšīniyān) — one from whom a person is descended
• Plautdietsch: Väavoda — one from whom a person is descended
• Polish: przodek — one from whom a person is descended
• Polish: wstępny — one from whom a person is descended
• Polish: antenat — one from whom a person is descended
• Polish: antenatka — one from whom a person is descended
• Portuguese: ancestral — one from whom a person is descended
• Portuguese: antepassado — one from whom a person is descended
• Romanian: predecesor — one from whom a person is descended
• Romanian: strămoș — one from whom a person is descended
• Romanian: străbun — one from whom a person is descended
• Russian: пре́док (prédok) — one from whom a person is descended
• Russian: прароди́тель (prarodítelʹ) — one from whom a person is descended
• Russian: пра́щур (práščur) — one from whom a person is descended
• Russian: праоте́ц (praotéc) — one from whom a person is descended
• Scottish Gaelic: sinnsear — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: предак — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: праотац — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: претка — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: предкиња — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: прамајка — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: прародитељ — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: predak — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: praotac — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: pretka — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: predkinja — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: pramajka — one from whom a person is descended
• Serbo-Croatian: praroditelj — one from whom a person is descended
• Sinhalese: මුතුන් මිත්තෝ (mutun mittō) — one from whom a person is descended
• Slovak: predok — one from whom a person is descended
• Slovene: prédnik — one from whom a person is descended
• Slovene: prédnica — one from whom a person is descended
• Spanish: ancestro — one from whom a person is descended
• Spanish: antepasado — one from whom a person is descended
• Sranan Tongo: awo — one from whom a person is descended
• Sranan Tongo: afo — one from whom a person is descended
• Sranan Tongo: fofo — one from whom a person is descended
• Sranan Tongo: tata — one from whom a person is descended
• Sranan Tongo: granawo — one from whom a person is descended
• Sundanese: karuhun — one from whom a person is descended
• Swahili: mhenga — one from whom a person is descended
• Swedish: förfader — one from whom a person is descended
• Thai: บรรพบุรุษ (ban-pá-bù-rùt) — one from whom a person is descended
• Thai: บรรพชน — one from whom a person is descended
• Thai: ต้นตระกูล — one from whom a person is descended
• Thai: บรรพสตรี — one from whom a person is descended
• Tok Pisin: tambaran — one from whom a person is descended
• Tok Pisin: tumbuna — one from whom a person is descended
• Tumbuka: sekuru — one from whom a person is descended
• Turkish: ata — one from whom a person is descended
• Ukrainian: пре́док (prédok) — one from whom a person is descended
• Ukrainian: пра́щур (práščur) — one from whom a person is descended
• Ukrainian: пра́щурка (práščurka) — one from whom a person is descended
• Vietnamese: tổ tiên — one from whom a person is descended
• Volapük: büröletan — one from whom a person is descended
• Volapük: hibüröletan — one from whom a person is descended
• Volapük: jibüröletan — one from whom a person is descended
• Welsh: cyndad — one from whom a person is descended
• Welsh: hynafiad — one from whom a person is descended
• Welsh: cyndadau — one from whom a person is descended
• Woiwurrung: liwik — one from whom a person is descended
• Yiddish: אָבֿ (ov) — one from whom a person is descended
• Bulgarian: предше́ственик (predšéstvenik) — an earlier type
• Dutch: voorloper — an earlier type
• Finnish: esi-isä — an earlier type
• German: Vorläufer — an earlier type
• German: Vorgänger — an earlier type
• Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — an earlier type
• Hindi: पूर्ववर्ती (pūrvavartī) — an earlier type
• Hungarian: ős — an earlier type
• Hungarian: előd — an earlier type
• Irish: sinsear — an earlier type
• Irish: sinsearach — an earlier type
• Japanese: 祖先 (sosen) — an earlier type
• Korean: 전신 (jeonsin) — an earlier type
• Korean: 원형 (wonhyeong) — an earlier type
• Latin: progenitor — an earlier type
• Latin: progenitrix — an earlier type
• Latvian: sencis — an earlier type
• Latvian: sence — an earlier type
• Norwegian Bokmål: forfader — an earlier type
• Norwegian Nynorsk: forfar — an earlier type
• Norwegian Nynorsk: forfader — an earlier type
• Portuguese: ancestral — an earlier type
• Russian: предше́ственник (predšéstvennik) — an earlier type
• Russian: пре́док (prédok) — an earlier type
• Slovak: predok — an earlier type
• Slovene: prédnik — an earlier type
• Japanese: 語源 (gogen) — a word of origin