1
ancestor of [noun phrase]
表示某物是另一物的直系祖先。
The chimpanzee is an ancestor of humans.
黑猩猩是人类的祖先。
祖先；先人
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
祖先；先人
A person from whom you are descended, especially one who lived long ago.
The chimpanzee is an ancestor of humans.
黑猩猩是人类的祖先。
一个人的祖先,无论父系或母系,任何时间距离；祖先；先辈；先祖。
One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a forefather; a forebear.
祖先,通常指比祖父母更早的先人
someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
早期类型；前身。
An earlier type; a progenitor.
遗产所从出之人；与继承人相对。
One from whom an estate has descended;—the correlative of heir.
My ancestor built this house in the 18th century.
我的祖先在18世纪建造了这所房子。
We can trace our ancestors back to Ireland.
我们可以将祖先追溯到爱尔兰。
The ancient temple was built by their ancestors.
这座古庙是由他们的祖先建造的。
表示某物是另一物的直系祖先。
The chimpanzee is an ancestor of humans.
黑猩猩是人类的祖先。
与 of 类似，强调承继关系。
This species is considered an ancestor to modern birds.
这个物种被认为是现代鸟类的祖先。
所有格形式表示某人的祖先。
They visited the village of their ancestors.
他们参观了祖先的村庄。
Not this
He is my ancestor.
Use this
He is my descendant.
“ancestor” 指祖先，而后代应为“descendant”。受中文“祖先”与“后代”的混淆影响，学习者易将两者误用。
Not this
We should respect our ancestor culture.
Use this
We should respect our ancestral culture.
“ancestor” 是名词，不能直接修饰名词；应使用其形容词形式“ancestral”来表示“祖先的”。
Not this
I have many ancestor in my family tree.
Use this
I have many ancestors in my family tree.
“ancestor” 是可数名词，表示多个祖先时需用复数形式“ancestors”。中文名词没有复数变化，容易忽略。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
共同祖先
Humans and apes share a common ancestor.
人类和猿类有共同的祖先。
远祖
My distant ancestor came from Ireland.
我的远祖来自爱尔兰。
祖先崇拜
Ancestor worship is practiced in many cultures.
许多文化中都实行祖先崇拜。
祖先形象
The statue is an ancestor figure from the tribe.
这座雕像是部落的祖先形象。
祖先灵魂
They believe ancestor spirits protect the village.
他们相信祖先灵魂保护着村庄。
…的祖先
The ancestor of the modern horse was much smaller.
现代马的祖先要小得多。
祖先，请听我的祈祷！
In times of trouble, she asked her ancestors for guidance.
在困难时刻，她向祖先祈求指引。
我们的祖先在守护着我们。
He felt a connection to his ancestors when visiting the old family home.
参观祖屋时，他感受到了与祖先的联系。
Use ancestor naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想：ancestor 听起来像 '俺祖先'，意思正是祖先。
通常用于中性语境，常见于历史或家谱讨论。
These words share the spelling ending 'tor' and an unstressed /-tər/ sound, but their stressed vowels and following consonants differ, so they do not rhyme with 'ancestor'. For example, 'ancestor' has stressed /æn-/, while 'doctor' has /dɒk-/, 'actor' has /æk-/, etc.
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.