ancestor Definition

ancestor
noun

1. Someone, usually more distant than a grandparent, from whom a person is directly descended.

Thesaurus: forebear, forefather, progenitor; Antonym: descendant.
2. A plant or animal that another type of plant or animal has evolved from.
3. Something thought of as a forerunner.

Example: the camera obscura, ancestor of the cinema
Thesaurus: forebear, predecessor, antecedent, precursor, forefather, progenitor, forerunner.

Etymology: 13c: from Latin antecessor, from ante before + cedere to go.