1a : one from whom a person is descended and who is usually more remote in the line of descent than a grandparent Her ancestors came to America in the 1880s. b : forefather sense 2. 2 : forerunner, prototype an exhibit of the ancestors of the modern computer.

What is an example of an ancestor?

The definition of an ancestor is a person or creature from whom one is descended or who lived in the past, or a person who came before. Your great great-grandfather is an example of an ancestor. King David and King Solomon are each an example of an ancestor of Jesus.

How far back is an ancestor?

If people in this population meet and breed at random, it turns out that you only need to go back an average of 20 generations before you find an individual who is a common ancestor of everyone in the population.