Spanish word

ancestro

Pronunciation

IPA/anˈθestɾo/

Meaning

  • masculine nounancestor

Example

Mis ancestros vinieron de otra región.

My ancestors came from another region.

Illustration for ancestro (ancestor)

More examples

¿Sabes de qué país era tu ancestro?

Do you know which country your ancestor was from?

Core concept

A solitary distant forebear pictured at the top of a family tree.

Common phrases

  • ancestro paterno

    paternal ancestor

  • ancestro materno

    maternal ancestor

  • ancestro común

    common ancestor

Similar words

antepasado: A forebear from earlier family generations commonly named in ordinary family history.
antecesor: A family member who belongs to an earlier generation and precedes someone on the family tree.
ascendiente: An ancestor in the ascending bloodline who transmits biological inheritance to descendants.
progenitor: A biological ancestor who directly produced offspring that continued the family lineage.

Definition in Spanish

Persona de la que se desciende en la línea familiar, especialmente en generaciones lejanas.

Word origin

It comes from Latin antecessor (ante 'before' + cedere 'go'), originally 'one who went before' and later used for a forebear, and passed into Spanish as ancestro.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech Spanish speakers prefer antepasado or abuelo, while ancestro appears mainly in written, academic, or biological contexts.

Other meanings

  • forefathernoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word