ancestor

Where does the word "ancestor" come from? It comes from Latin antecessor, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Ancestor’s story begins in Latin: antecessor meant “one who goes before.” 'ante', before, plus 'cedere', to go. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as ancestre. Old French contracted the Latin form. It reached English by 1300s as ancestor. 'ancestry' followed. Today, ancestor means a person from whom one is descended.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient antecessor "one who goes before", 'ante', before, plus 'cedere', to go.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval ancestre "forefather", Old French contracted the Latin form.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s ancestor "forefather", 'ancestry' followed.