ancestry
gb/ˈænsɛstɹi/ us/ˈænsɛstɹi/
B2
English
származás, genetikai származás, leszármazás, előzmény, eredet
NOUN
B2
1
származás
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s ancestry; of [national/ethnic] ancestry
She is American, but her ancestry is partly Korean and partly Mexican.
Amerikai, de a származása részben koreai, részben mexikói.
The museum helped local families research their ancestry through old church records.
A múzeum régi egyházi anyakönyvek segítségével segített a helyi családoknak a származásuk kutatásában.
He grew up knowing very little about his father's ancestry.
Learner examples
My grandmother told me about our family's ancestry.
A nagymamám mesélt a családunk származásáról.
She has Irish ancestry.
Ír származású.
Common mistake:
Do not use ancestry for living family members in general; it usually refers to ancestors and origins.
Meaning
family or ethnic origins
Collocations
African ancestry
|Irish ancestry
|Asian ancestry
|mixed ancestry
|family ancestry
|maternal ancestry
|paternal ancestry
|trace your ancestry
|ancestry records
|ancestry research
Synonyms
lineage (emphasizes the line of descent through generations)
|
descent (often used with nationality or ethnicity, as in 'of Italian descent')
|
heritage (emphasizes cultural traditions as well as family origins)
|
roots (more informal and personal)
Antonyms
descendants (people who come after someone in a family line, not before)
Themes
family
|identity
|history
|culture
Definition
Your ancestry is the family, ethnic, or national background of the people you come from.
The line of people from whom a person, family, or group is descended, especially considered as family history, nationality, or ethnicity.
NOUN
C1
2
Usage pattern:
genetic ancestry; [someone]'s ancestry results
The study compared health outcomes while taking genetic ancestry into account.
A tanulmány az egészségi kimeneteleket a genetikai származás figyelembevételével hasonlította össze.
Her ancestry results showed connections to several regions of West Africa.
A genetikai származási eredményei Nyugat-Afrika több régiójához mutattak kapcsolatot.
Doctors sometimes consider genetic ancestry when studying risk factors, but it does not determine a person's identity.
Learner examples
A DNA test can give information about your ancestry.
Egy DNS-teszt információt adhat a genetikai származásodról.
His ancestry results surprised him.
Meglepődött a genetikai származási eredményein.
Common mistake:
Genetic ancestry is not the same as nationality, citizenship, or personal cultural identity.
Meaning
inherited genetic background
Collocations
genetic ancestry
|DNA ancestry
|ancestry test
|ancestry results
|ancestry estimate
|ancestry report
|ancestry markers
|ancestry information
|population ancestry
Synonyms
genomic ancestry (more technical; refers specifically to ancestry inferred from the genome)
|
genetic background (broader; may include inherited traits, not only population origins)
Themes
genetics
|health
|identity
|science
Definition
Genetic ancestry is what a person's DNA suggests about where their ancestors came from.
The inherited genetic background that connects a person or organism to particular ancestral populations or geographic origins.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
3
leszármazás
C1
Usage pattern:
the ancestry of [a species]; [species] ancestry
Evidence from fossils and DNA helps scientists study human ancestry.
Az ősmaradványokból és a DNS-ből származó bizonyítékok segítik a tudósokat az ember evolúciós leszármazásának kutatásában.
Modern whales have an ancestry that includes land-dwelling mammals.
A modern bálnák leszármazási vonalában szárazföldi emlősök is szerepelnek.
Many animals show signs of shared ancestry in their body structures.
Learner examples
Scientists study the ancestry of humans.
A tudósok az ember származását tanulmányozzák.
DNA can show shared ancestry between species.
A DNS kimutathatja a fajok közös leszármazását.
Common mistake:
Common ancestry does not mean that one modern species came from another modern species; it means they share earlier ancestors.
Meaning
evolutionary line of descent
Collocations
human ancestry
|evolutionary ancestry
|shared ancestry
|common ancestry
|primate ancestry
|ancient ancestry
|ancestry of mammals
Synonyms
evolutionary lineage (more technical and precise for biology)
|
descent (emphasizes development from earlier forms)
Themes
biology
|evolution
|science
|nature
Definition
In biology, ancestry is the chain of earlier life forms from which a species developed.
The line of earlier organisms or species from which a species, group, or organism evolved.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
4
Usage pattern:
the ancestry of [something]
The ancestry of the modern smartphone includes cameras, music players, and handheld computers.
A modern okostelefon előzményei közé tartoznak a fényképezőgépek, a zenelejátszók és a kézi számítógépek.
Linguists study the ancestry of words by comparing older forms in related languages.
A nyelvészek a szavak eredetét rokon nyelvek régebbi alakjainak összehasonlításával vizsgálják.
The political movement has an intellectual ancestry that reaches back to the nineteenth century.
Learner examples
The word has a long ancestry.
A szónak régre nyúló eredete van.
The computer's ancestry includes earlier calculating machines.
A számítógép előzményei közé korábbi számológépek is tartoznak.
Common mistake:
This use is fairly formal; in everyday speech, 'origin' or 'history' is often more natural.
Meaning
earlier origins of something
Collocations
technological ancestry
|linguistic ancestry
|cultural ancestry
|intellectual ancestry
|ancestry of a word
|ancestry of an idea
Synonyms
origins (more common and general)
|
history (broader; includes later development too)
|
pedigree (can suggest a respected or traceable background)
Themes
history
|technology
|language
|culture
Definition
The ancestry of something can mean the earlier things it developed from.
The earlier forms, sources, or predecessors from which something nonliving, such as an idea, language, product, or institution, developed.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ancestry
IPA
GB/ˈænsɛstɹi/
US/ˈænsɛstɹi/
Syllables & stress
an - ces - try (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (an)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: ancestry
- Plural: ancestries, ancestry
Expressions
ancestry test
1/ˈænsɛstɹi tˈɛst/
fixed phrase
DNA origins test
An ancestry test is a DNA test that tries to show where your ancestors came from.
Examples
- He took an ancestry test after finding old family letters in the attic.
- The ancestry test suggested that her family had roots in several regions.
- Ancestry tests can be interesting, but the results may change as databases grow.
Learner examples
- She took an ancestry test.
- The ancestry test showed my family origins.
common ancestry
1/kˈɑmən ˈænsɛstɹi/
fixed phrase
shared line of descent
Common ancestry means that two or more people, groups, or species come from the same earlier ancestor.
Examples
- DNA evidence supports the common ancestry of humans and other primates.
- The two families discovered common ancestry through old marriage records.
- Similar bone structures can be evidence of common ancestry among species.
Learner examples
- The cousins share common ancestry.
- Scientists found evidence of common ancestry.
mixed ancestry
1/mˈɪkst ˈænsɛstɹi/
fixed phrase
multiple ethnic origins
A person of mixed ancestry has ancestors from different ethnic or national groups.
Examples
- She grew up in a family of mixed ancestry and spoke three languages at home.
- The report included a section on the experiences of people of mixed ancestry.
- He described himself as being of mixed European and Caribbean ancestry.
Learner examples
- He is of mixed ancestry.
- Many families have mixed ancestry.
of [nationality/ethnicity] ancestry
1/əv nˈeɪʃənəlɪtˌaɪθnˈɪsɪti ˈænsɛstɹi/
fixed phrase
having particular origins
Use this phrase to say what national or ethnic background someone's ancestors had.
Examples
- Many residents of the city are of Italian ancestry.
- She is of Vietnamese ancestry but was born and raised in Canada.
- The survey asked whether participants were of Indigenous ancestry.
Learner examples
- He is of Greek ancestry.
- My friend is of Chinese ancestry.
trace one's ancestry
1/tɹˈeɪs wˈʌnz ˈænsɛstɹi/
fixed phrase
research family origins
To trace your ancestry is to find out who your ancestors were and where they came from.
Examples
- She traced her ancestry back to a small village in Scotland.
- The family used census records to trace their ancestry over six generations.
- Many people now trace their ancestry using both documents and DNA tests.
Learner examples
- I want to trace my ancestry.
- They traced their ancestry to Poland.