Antecedents - English meaning

noun

A person, typically one more remote than a grandparent, from whom one is descended.

Usage examples:

He could trace his ancestors back to james the first

noun

One's family or ethnic descent.

Usage examples:

He was proud of his irish ancestry

noun

Your ancestors who lived a long time ago, or the origin of your family

Usage examples:

He was proud of his native american ancestry., his wife was of royal ancestry., the family has trac…

noun

The part of a picture, scene, or design that forms a setting for the main figures or objects, or appears furthest from the viewer.

Usage examples:

The house stands against a background of sheltering trees

verb

Form a background to.

Usage examples:

Windswept land backgrounded by the rockies

noun

Things that appear to be farther away or behind what is nearer or in front, esp. in a picture

Usage examples:

[ c ] he photographed the models against different backgrounds., [ u ] with so much noise in the ba…

noun

The emergence of a baby or other young from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being.

Usage examples:

He was blind from birth

verb

Give birth to (a baby or other young).

Usage examples:

She birthed five children within ten years

noun

An act of moving downwards, dropping, or falling.

Usage examples:

The plane had gone into a steep descent

noun

The origin of people in your family background

Usage examples:

Their mother is of irish descent (= family origin)., the descent of dozens of motorcycles terrified…

noun

The action of extracting something, especially using effort or force.

Usage examples:

Mineral extraction

noun

The process of removing or taking out something

Usage examples:

[ c ] a tooth extraction, [ u ] she is of korean extraction.

noun

The process of removing a substance from the ground or from another substance

Usage examples:

The local economy is overwhelmingly dependent on oil and gas extraction., hard-rock mining refers t…

noun

A group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit.

Usage examples:

The family lived in a large house with a lot of land

adjective

Designed to be suitable for children as well as adults.

Usage examples:

A family newspaper

noun

A social group of parents, children, and sometimes grandparents, uncles, aunts, and others who are related

Usage examples:

[ c ] her family moved here when she was eleven., [ u ] many people cope with the demands of both c…

noun

The fact of being the child of a particular parent or parents.

Usage examples:

Relationships based on ties of filiation as opposed to marriage

noun

An ancestor.

Usage examples:

Generations of his forebears had lived in london

noun

An ancestor

noun

A relative who lived in the past

noun

A member of the past generations of one's family or people; an ancestor.

Usage examples:

The duchy which her forefathers had ruled since the tenth century

noun

Someone's relative who lived a long time ago

Usage examples:

Our forefathers fought for equal justice under the law., the house was built by his forefather will…

noun

A person or thing that precedes the coming or development of someone or something else.

Usage examples:

The ice safe was a forerunner of today's refrigerator

noun

An early, often less advanced model of something

Usage examples:

His machine was a forerunner of the modern computer.

noun

A line of descent traced continuously from an ancestor.

Usage examples:

The genealogies of the kings of mercia

noun

The study of the history of the past and present members of a family, or a particular history of this type

Usage examples:

[ c ] he has produced a genealogy of his family going back to 1732.

adjective

Gone by in time and no longer existing.

Usage examples:

The danger is now past

noun

The time before the moment of speaking or writing.

Usage examples:

She found it hard to make ends meet in the past

preposition

To or on the further side of.

Usage examples:

He rode on past the crossroads

noun

A person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner.

Usage examples:

A three-stringed precursor of the violin

noun

Something that comes before another and may lead to it or influence its development

Usage examples:

Opponents fear this would be a precursor to development of the entire canyon.

noun

A person who held a job or office before the current holder.

Usage examples:

His approach is very similar to that of his predecessor

noun

A person or thing from which a person, animal, or plant is descended or originates; an ancestor or parent.

Usage examples:

His children were the progenitors of many of scotland's noble families

noun

The parent or direct ancestor of a person, animal, or plant

Usage examples:

A child has a male progenitor and a female progenitor., a series of several persons descended from …

noun

A person who first thinks of something and causes it to exist

Usage examples:

Marx was the progenitor of communism., the sagrada familia was conceived originally by its progenit…

noun

A thing constituting a piece of evidence about the past, especially an account kept in writing or some other permanent form.

Usage examples:

You should keep a written record

verb

Set down in writing or some other permanent form for later reference.

Usage examples:

They were asked to keep a diary and record everything they ate or drank

verb

Anything providing permanent evidence about past events

noun

The part of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground, conveying water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibres.

Usage examples:

Cacti have deep and spreading roots

verb

Cause (a plant or cutting) to grow roots.

Usage examples:

Root your own cuttings from stock plants

noun

An act of rooting.

Usage examples:

I had a root through the open drawers

noun

The goods or merchandise kept on the premises of a shop or warehouse and available for sale or distribution.

Usage examples:

The store has a very low turnover of stock

adjective

(of a product or type of product) usually kept in stock and thus regularly available for sale.

Usage examples:

25 per cent off stock items

verb

Have or keep a supply of (a particular product or type or product) available for sale.

Usage examples:

Most supermarkets now stock a range of organic produce