Relating to or inherited from ancestors; belonging to or characteristic of one's forebears.
From Old French 'ancestrel', from 'ancestre' (ancestor), ultimately from Latin 'antecessor' meaning 'one who goes before'. The suffix '-al' was added to create the adjective form in the 14th century.
The concept of ancestral memory—the idea that we inherit not just genes but somehow memories from our ancestors—appears in many cultures and has found new life in epigenetics research. Scientists now know that traumatic experiences can actually alter gene expression in ways that affect descendants.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.