common ancestor

noun

An ancestor that two or more descendants have in common.

“The chimpanzee and the gorilla have a common ancestor.”

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Meanings

nouncommon ancestor (plural common ancestors)

plural common ancestors

  1. An ancestor that two or more descendants have in common.

    The chimpanzee and the gorilla have a common ancestor.

    2 more examples

    The monarchs of Spain and the UK have a common ancestor namely Queen Victoria.

    The theory of evolution states that all life on Earth has a common ancestor.

Translations

Finnish yhteinen esi-isä
  • yhteinen esi-isäcommon ancestor
German gemeinsamer Vorfahre
  • gemeinsamer Vorfahrecommon ancestor
Hungarian közös ős
  • közös őscommon ancestor
Polish wspólny przodek
  • wspólny przodekcommon ancestor
Russian о́бщий пре́док
  • о́бщий пре́док (óbščij prédok)common ancestor
Cite this entry
APA

common ancestor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common%20ancestor

MLA

“common ancestor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common%20ancestor. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “common ancestor,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/common%20ancestor.

Source: common ancestor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.