What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Ancestral vs Derived - What's the difference?

ancestral | derived |

As adjectives the difference between ancestral and derived

is that ancestral is of, pertaining to, derived from, or possessed by, an ancestor or ancestors; as, an ancestral estate while derived is of, or pertaining to, conditions unique to the descendant species of a clade, and not found in earlier ancestral species.

As a verb derived is

past tense of derive.

ancestral

English

Alternative forms

* ancestrall (obsolete) * auncestral (obsolete)

Adjective

(-)
  • Of, pertaining to, derived from, or possessed by, an ancestor or ancestors; as, an ancestral estate.
  • Anagrams

    * ----

    derived

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (systematics) Of, or pertaining to, conditions unique to the descendant species of a clade, and not found in earlier ancestral species.
  • (comparable, archaic, taxonomy) Possessing features believed to be more advanced or improved than those other organisms.
  • product of derivation
  • The French language is derived from Latin.

    Usage notes

    Modern systematics proscribes use of derived'' to mean "advanced", preferring to use ''derived to simply mean "changed from the ancestral state" without an evaluation of quality.

    See also

    * apomorphy

    Verb

    (head)
  • (derive)