ancestor
an·ces·tor
/ˈænˌsɛstɚ/ noun , pl -tors [ count ]
1 : a person who was in someone's family in past times : one of the people from whom a person is descended
My ancestors came to America during the 1800s.
Her ancestors were great sea captains.
2 : an animal in the past from which a modern animal developed
an ancient animal that was the ancestor of the modern horse
3 : something in the past from which something else has developed
The museum included an exhibit showing ancestors of the modern computer.
several languages that are derived from a common ancestor
Latin is the ancestor of Italian and French.
an·ces·tral /ænˈsɛstrəl/ adj
We returned to our ancestral home [=the home of our ancestors] after many years.
