There are words in Russian that, so to speak, gather dust on the shelves. That is, they are, but they are used extremely rarely. Probably because not everyone knows them. The noun "ancestor" belongs to such underestimated words. This word is about to pass into the category of archaisms, because it is rarely found in modern speech. This article will focus on the interpretation of the word "ancestor", its origin and synonyms.
Interpretation and etymology
Not everyone is familiar with the meaning of the word "ancestor". It's time to fill the knowledge gap. In the explanatory dictionary of Efremova, it is indicated that "ancestor" has two lexical meanings:
- ancestor or distant ancestor;
- what started something (was the first version of something). This is a figurative meaning.
Professor O. E. Olshansky points out that the word "ancestor" is formed from the prefix "-pra-" and the root "-shchur-". The noun is supposed to be related to the words "brother-in-law" and "sew".
Ancestor is a masculine noun. The stress falls on the first syllable, the vowel "a". Plural form -ancestors.
Synonyms for the word
Ancestor is a book word. It is practically not used in colloquial speech. It can be replaced with several synonyms:
- Ancestor. My ancestors would be proud of me.
- Forefather. I know who my forefather is.
- Progenitor. In the museum you can see the progenitor of the modern computer.
- Ancestor. Do you know the founder of Russian writing?
Examples of usage
The best way to remember the meaning of the word ancestor is to make up a few sentences:
- It is important to know your ancestors.
- The ancestors of people were hunters and gatherers.
- The blood of my ancestors flows in my veins.
- Do you know the forefather of modern radio?
- Hack is the ancestor of the ax.
The word is used mainly in print media. In colloquial speech, it is most often replaced by suitable synonyms. Their choice depends on the context. Which word will be used depends on the person himself.
