Meanings
plural ancestries · alternative obsolete ancestrie · alternative obsolete auncestrie · alternative obsolete auncestry
- countableuncountableThe state of being ancestors.
- countableuncountableBirth to a noble or high-ranking family, or to someone of honorable descent.
Title and ancestry render a good man more illustrious, but an ill one more contemptible.
August 1 1713, Joseph Addison, The Guardian volume 1231 more example
Tali: My people place a high value on family and ancestry. There's an unspoken expectation that I'll live up to my father's example.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: SSV Normandy
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe hereditary derivation of an individual
nouninherited properties shared with others of your bloodline
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchancesserie
- Middle Englishauncestrie
- Englishancestry
From Middle English auncestrie, from Old French ancesserie. See ancestor.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan llinatge, ascendència
- llinatgecondition as to ancestors
- ascendènciacondition as to ancestors
Dutch voorouders, afstamming
- voorouderscondition as to ancestors
- afstammingcondition as to ancestors
Esperanto praularo
- praularoseries of ancestors or progenitors
Finnish syntyperä, suku
- syntyperäseries of ancestors or progenitors
- sukuseries of ancestors or progenitors
- esi-isätseries of ancestors or progenitors
French ascendance
- ascendancecondition as to ancestors
German Vorväter, Ahnen
- Vorväterseries of ancestors or progenitors
- Ahnenseries of ancestors or progenitors
- Vorfahrencondition as to ancestors
- Ahnencondition as to ancestors
- Abstammungcondition as to ancestors
Greek γενεαλογία, καταγωγή
- γενεαλογία (genealogía)condition as to ancestors
- καταγωγή (katagogí)condition as to ancestors
- γενεαλογικό δένδρο (genealogikó déndro)condition as to ancestors
- πρόγονοι (prógonoi)condition as to ancestors
Italian avi, antenati
- aviseries of ancestors or progenitors
- antenatiseries of ancestors or progenitors
- progenitoriseries of ancestors or progenitors
- ascendenzacondition as to ancestors
- stirpecondition as to ancestors
Persian پروز
- پروز (parvaz)condition as to ancestors
Polish przodkowie, pochodzenie
- przodkowieseries of ancestors or progenitors
- pochodzeniecondition as to ancestors
Portuguese ascendência
- ascendênciacondition as to ancestors
Russian родосло́вная, происхожде́ние
- родосло́вная (rodoslóvnaja)condition as to ancestors
- происхожде́ние (proisxoždénije)condition as to ancestors
Scottish Gaelic sinnsearachd
- sinnsearachdcondition as to ancestors
Spanish ancestría, ascendencia
- ancestríaseries of ancestors or progenitors
- ascendenciaseries of ancestors or progenitors
- ancestríacondition as to ancestors
- ascendenciacondition as to ancestors
Welsh ach
- achcondition as to ancestors
Cite this entry
ancestry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ancestry
“ancestry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ancestry. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ancestry,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ancestry.
Source: ancestry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.