ancestor

  1. Noun.  One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a forefather.
  2. Noun.  An earlier type; a progenitor.
  3. Noun.  (legal) One from whom an estate has descended;—the correlative of heir.
  4. Noun.  (figuratively) One who had the same role or function in former times.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.