ancestor
US /ˈæn.ses.tɚ/
UK /ˈæn.ses.tɚ/
1.
a person, typically one more remote than a grandparent, from whom one is descended
:
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My ancestors came from Ireland.
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We can trace our family back to a famous ancestor.
2.
a prototype or early version of something
:
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The first steam engine was an ancestor of modern locomotives.
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This early computer is the direct ancestor of today's powerful machines.