French Conversation · Level 79
60 words
French word
ancêtre
Pronunciation
IPA/ɑ̃sɛtʁ/
Meaning
- noun (m./f.)ancestor
Example
Je rends hommage à mes ancêtres chaque année.
I pay homage to my ancestors every year.
More examples
Son ancêtre était un artisan du village.
His ancestor was a village artisan.
Core concept
A distant predecessor remembered as part of a family's, people's, or lineage's origins.
Common phrases
les ancêtres paternels
the paternal ancestors
un ancêtre célèbre
a renowned ancestor
Similar words
grand-parent: An older family member who is the parent of one's father or mother.
grand-père: The male parent of one's father or mother.
grand-mère: The female parent of one's father or mother.
Definition in French
Personne reconnue comme ancêtre d'une famille, d'un peuple ou d'une lignée, située plusieurs générations en arrière.
Word origin
Ancêtre is a French continuation of Old French ancestre, itself from Latin antecessor, and the spelling changed when the s disappeared before the circumflex.
Usage tips
- Ancêtre also applies figuratively to an earlier form of a species, object, or tradition, as in l'ancêtre de cette technologie.
Other meanings
- predecessornoun
Opposites
- descendantdescendantnoun
- postéritéposteritynoun
Related words
- ancestralancestraladjective