ancestral
Connected to your family members from long ago, or to things that come from them.
Relating to, originating from, or traditionally belonging to the people from whom one is descended.
Describing an early form of a living thing, gene, or language that later forms came from.
Describing a species, gene, trait, or language form that existed earlier in an evolutionary or historical line and gave rise to later forms.
- Base: ancestral
ancestral heritage
1culture passed down from ancestors
The culture, customs, and ways of life that come from your ancestors.
- They work hard to preserve their ancestral heritage.
- The museum exhibit celebrates the ancestral heritage of the region.
- Parents teach their children songs that are part of their ancestral heritage.
ancestral home
1a family's old traditional home
A house or place where a family lived long ago and which is strongly connected to their family history.
- She traveled back to the village to see her ancestral home.
- The family still gathers at their ancestral home every summer.
- War forced them to leave their ancestral home decades ago.
ancestral land
1land held by ancestors
Land that a family or group has lived on or owned for many generations.
- The community is fighting to protect its ancestral land from mining companies.
- They performed a ceremony to reconnect with their ancestral lands.
- Laws were passed to return some ancestral land to Indigenous groups.
ancestral roots
1family and place of origin
Your deep family background and the places your family came from long ago.
- She traveled across the country to explore her ancestral roots.
- The book helped him understand his ancestral roots in West Africa.
- Many people feel a strong pull toward their ancestral roots.
ancestral spirits
1spirits of one's ancestors
The souls of people from your family who died long ago, which some cultures believe can help or guide the living.
- They offered food and incense to honor the ancestral spirits.
- In many traditions, ancestral spirits are invited to join family ceremonies.
- The healer said the ancestral spirits were watching over the village.
ancestral village
1village of one's ancestors
A village where your family or people lived many years ago.
- He returned to his ancestral village after fifty years abroad.
- Many tourists visit their ancestral villages to learn about their roots.
- The festival brings people back to their ancestral village every year.