Ancestry
/ˈænsɛstri/
nounIntermediateCommonGeneral
Meaning
Questions
Definitions
1
One's family or ancestors; the history of one's family.
/ˈænsɛstri/
nounneutralIntermediate
General
Line of descent; lineage.
Knowing your ancestry can be a rewarding experience.
💡 Simply: Your family's history.
More Examples
2
They are tracing their ancestry back to Ireland.
How It's Used
Genealogy
"She researched her ancestry to trace her family history back to the 17th century."
Historical
"The monument commemorates the ancestry of the royal family."
From Anglo-French *auncestrie*, from *auncestre* "ancestor", ultimately of Germanic origin.
The word has been used since the Middle Ages to refer to lineage.
Memory tip
Think 'ancestor' - it's about your family's history going back generations.
Practice
Base: ancestor
ancenstryancesteryansetry
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written