Ancestor vs Father - What's the difference?
ancestor | father | Related terms |
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.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= An earlier type; a progenitor
(legal) One from whom an estate has descended;—the correlative of heir.
(figuratively) One who had the same role or function in former times.
* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=October 1, author=Saj Chowdhury, work=BBC Sport
, title= A (generally human) male who begets a child.
* Bible, Proverbs x. 1
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.}}
A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor.
* Bible, 1 Kings ii. 10
* Bible, Rom. iv. 16
* Shakespeare
A person who plays the role of a father in some way.
* Bible, Job xxix. 16
* Bible, Genesis xiv. 8
The founder of a discipline or science.
A senator of Ancient Rome.
To be a father to; to sire.
* 1592 , v 4
(figuratively) To give rise to.
* 1610 — ii 2
To act as a father; to support and nurture.
* 1610 — iv 2
To provide with a father.
* Shakespeare
To adopt as one's own.
* Jonathan Swift
In figuratively terms the difference between ancestor and father
is that ancestor is one who had the same role or function in former times while father is to give rise to.As nouns the difference between ancestor and father
is that ancestor is 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 while father is a (generally human) male who begets a child.As a verb father is
to be a father to; to sire.As a proper noun Father is
god, the father of Creation.ancestor
English
Alternative forms
* ancestour (obsolete) * auncestor (obsolete) * auncestour (obsolete)Noun
(en noun)Old soldiers?, passage=Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless.}}
Wolverhampton 1-2 Newcastle, passage=The Magpies are unbeaten and enjoying their best run since 1994, although few would have thought the class of 2011 would come close to emulating their ancestors .}}
Usage notes
* There is a rare feminine form ancestressDerived terms
* cenancestorAntonyms
* descendantAnagrams
*father
English
Noun
(en noun)- A wise son maketh a glad father .
- David slept with his fathers .
- Abraham, who is the father of us all
- Bless you, good father friar!
- I was a father to the poor.
- He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house.
Synonyms
* (parent) See alsoAntonyms
* (with regards to gender) mother * (with regards to ancestry) son, daughter, childHypernyms
* (a male parent) parentDerived terms
* Father Christmas * Father of Lies * Father Time * Father's Day * fatherhood * father-in-law * fatherland * fatherless * fatherliness * fatherly * forefather * godfather * God the Father * grandfather * great-grandfather * Heavenly Father * how's your father * * stepfatherVerb
(en verb)- Well, go to; we'll have no bastards live; Especially since Charles must father it.
- Cowards father cowards and base things sire base.
- Ay, good youth! And rather father thee than master thee.
- Think you I am no stronger than my sex, / Being so fathered and so husbanded?
- Men of wit / Often fathered what he writ.