ancestry

English

Alternative forms

• ancestrie (obsolete)
• auncestrie (obsolete)
• auncestry (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French ancesserie. See ancestor.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˈæn.sɛs.tɹi/, X-SAMPA: /"{n.sEs.tr\i/

Noun

ancestry (plural ancestries)

1. Condition as to ancestors; ancestral lineage; hence, birth or honorable descent.

   Title and ancestry render a good man more illustrious, but an ill one more contemptible. -Addison.

2. A series of ancestors or progenitors; lineage, or those who compose the line of natural descent.

Related terms

• ancestor

Translations

condition as to ancestors

• Asturian: llinaxe (ast) m, ascendencia (ast) f
• Catalan: llinatge (ca) m, ascendència (ca) f
• Dutch: voorouders (nl), afstamming (nl)
• French: ascendance (fr) f
• Galician: ascendencia (gl) f
• German: Vorfahren (de) m pl
• Greek: γενεαλογία (el) (yenealoyia) f , καταγωγή (el) (katagoge) f , γενεαλογικό δένδρο (el) (yenealoyiko dentro) n , πρόγονοι (el) (progoni) m pl 

• Portuguese: ascendência (pt) f
• Scottish Gaelic: sinnsearachd (gd) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: порекло (sh) n / поријекло (sh) n

  Roman: poreklo (sh) n / porijeklo (sh) n, postanak (sh), preci (sh)

• Spanish: linaje (es) m, ascendencia (es) f