English → Latin
“ancestor” in Latin
genusbirth, origin, lineage, descent; kind, type, class; species (general classification, as of living things), taxon (of aniavusgrandfather; ancestor; progenitor; forefather; forebear; old manmagnusgreat, large, big; (of things) vast, extensive, spacious (of physical size or quantity); great, grand, mighty, noble, lopriorformer, prior, previous, earlier (preceding in time); the first, the original; in frontpaterfather (male parent); head of household; parent
The English word ancestor itself goes back to Latin cēdō, through antecessōrem.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
ancestor
generis or gentis auctor (the founder of a race or family): unus majorum (one of one’s ancestors): avus (grandfather: poetically, forefather).
Ancestors, majores: priores: patres: generis or gentis auctores (of the founders of the race or family).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for ancestor?
- The usual Latin words for “ancestor” are genus, avus, magnus; also prior, pater. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.