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ancestor

noun [C]
 
 
/ˈæn.ses.tər/ US  /-tɚ/

Definition

B2 a person related to you who lived a long time ago: There were portraits of his ancestors on the walls of the room. → Compare descendantAncestors and descendants a plant, animal, or object that is related to one existing at a later point in time: This wooden instrument is the ancestor of the modern metal flute.Ancestors and descendants ancestral
 
 
/ænˈses.trəl/ adjective [before noun]
an ancestral home ancestral rightsAncestors and descendants
(Definition of ancestor noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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