ancestor
UK[ˈænsestə]US[ˈænˌsestɚ]
n
a person in your family who lived a long time ago
n
an early type of animal or plant from which modern ones have developed
n
an early form of a machine or system that later became more developed
Morpheme Breakdown
an
cest
or
an
before
cest
to go
or
agent suffix
Etymology
The word 'ancestor' has a literal meaning of 'one who goes before'. It entered English from Old French 'ancestre', which itself derived from the Latin 'antecessor', a compound of 'ante' (before) and 'cedere' (to go). The core Latin term 'antecessor' originally meant a predecessor or forerunner in a general sense, often used for someone who goes ahead, like a scout or a predecessor in office. Over time, through Old French, the meaning specialized to refer specifically to a biological or familial predecessor, solidifying the modern sense of a person from whom one is descended.
Analysis
Structure: an (before) + cest (to go) + or (agent suffix)
- an: from Latin 'ante-', meaning 'before, in front of'.
- cest: from Latin 'cedere' (to go, to yield), appearing here in a participial form.
- or: from Latin '-or', a suffix forming agent nouns (one who does something).
Examples
My ancestors came to this country over two hundred years ago.
The ancient reptile is considered an ancestor of the modern bird.
This bulky computer is the direct ancestor of today's powerful smartphones.