ancestral

Everyday

1. Ancestral means belonging to, coming from or connected with your ancestors, the people in your family who lived long before you. tree →
2. (science) Ancestral describes an early form of a living thing from which later kinds developed. tree →

In the lessons

In history and family lessons an ancestral home or land is where a family or people has lived for generations; Aboriginal Australians, Māori and Native American peoples talk about ancestral land. In science lessons on evolution, birds have ancestral links to dinosaurs. Phrases: ancestral home, ancestral land, ancestral language.

Examples

• The castle was the duke's ancestral home. tree →
• The Māori people care deeply for their ancestral land. tree →
• Grandma took us to her ancestral village in Ireland. tree →
• Many families keep ancestral photos and letters. tree →
• Birds are thought to have dinosaurs as ancestral relatives. tree →
• The tribe performed an ancestral dance at the festival. tree →
• Our ancestral language was Ukrainian, though we now speak English. tree →
• He first sought refuge on Mount Ida, and afterwards fled to Italy, where he became the ancestral hero of the Roman people. tree →

Note

Related: ancestor (a person), ancestry (your family line). Ancestors are earlier than grandparents usually; descendants are the people who come after you.