1. relating to or inherited from ancestors
與祖先有關的；從祖先繼承下來的
He returned to his ancestral homeland after many years abroad.
在國外多年後，他回到了祖先的家園。
The family's ancestral estate has been passed down for generations.
這個家族的祖傳莊園已經傳承了好幾代。
Ancestral Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
ancestral
adjective
快速理解
What does "Ancestral" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Ancestral"?
形容與祖先、家族傳承或古老起源相關的事物。
- 1
祖先的
EN: belonging to or inherited from one's ancestors
翻譯: 屬於祖先的或從祖先那裡繼承下來的。
- 2
祖傳的
EN: passed down through generations within a family
翻譯: 在家族中代代相傳的。
- 3
古老的
EN: relating to a very old or original source
翻譯: 與非常古老或最初的起源相關的。
小提醒：注意：'ancestral' 描述的是與祖先或起源相關的狀態或屬性，通常用於修飾具體事物（如房子、土地）或抽象概念（如傳統、家園），而非直接描述祖先本人。
發音（How to Pronounce "Ancestral" in English）
How to pronounce "Ancestral" in English?"Ancestral" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Ancestral" from YouTube Videos
Animations of unseeable biology | Drew Berry | TED
TED
“Another scientist with very big ideas, the superstar of biology, is Charles Darwin, And with this famous entry in his notebook, he begins in the top left-hand corner with "I think" and then sketches out the first tree of life, which is his perception of how all the species, all living things on Earth, are connected through evolutionary history -- the origin of species through natural selection and divergence from an ancestral population.”
(1 out of 1)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Ancestral"?How does "Ancestral" change by context?
2. existing in or derived from the distant past
存在於或源自遙遠過去的
The tribe still practices its ancestral customs and rituals.
這個部落仍然遵循著其古老的習俗和儀式。
They sought to preserve the ancestral language from extinction.
他們致力於保護古老的語言免於失傳。
3. belonging to or characteristic of a line of ancestors
屬於或具有某一家族血統特徵的
She felt a strong connection to her ancestral roots.
她對自己的家族根源有著強烈的連結感。
The portrait gallery was filled with images of his ancestral figures.
畫廊裡掛滿了他祖先人物的畫像。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Ancestral"?How to make natural sentences with "Ancestral"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ancestral + noun | 祖先的…；祖傳的… | They visited their ancestral home in the countryside. (他們參觀了他們在鄉下的祖宅。) |
| of + ancestral + noun | …的祖先的 | This is a story of ancestral wisdom passed down through generations. (這是一個關於世代相傳的祖先智慧的故事。) |
| ancestral to + noun | 是…的祖先的 | This fossil is believed to be ancestral to modern birds. (這塊化石被認為是現代鳥類的祖先。) |
用法說明
How is "Ancestral" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Ancestral"?
ancestral 與 ancestral to 的用法區別
- ancestral 作為形容詞，通常直接修飾名詞，表示「祖先的、祖傳的」。
- ancestral to 是一個固定搭配，用於表示「是...的祖先/源頭」，後面接名詞或名詞性短語，強調血緣或歷史上的傳承關係。
- 兩者不可互換。ancestral 描述的是所有權或來源，而 ancestral to 描述的是一種傳承或起源的關係。
對比例句： EN: We visited our ancestral home in the countryside. 翻譯: 我們參觀了位於鄉間的祖宅。
EN:This ancient species is believed to be ancestral to modern birds.
翻譯:這種古老物種被認為是現代鳥類的祖先。
EN:He inherited an ancestral sword.
翻譯:他繼承了一把祖傳的寶劍。
EN:This philosophical idea is ancestral to many modern political theories.
翻譯:這個哲學思想是許多現代政治理論的源頭。
總結建議
使用時，若想表達「屬於祖先的」或「祖傳的」，用 ancestral；若想表達「是...的祖先/源頭」，則用 ancestral to。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Ancestral" and similar words?How to choose "Ancestral" vs alternatives?
ancestral vs hereditary
「ancestral」強調來自祖先或世代相傳的狀態，而「hereditary」則側重於通過生物遺傳或法律繼承而獲得。
ancestral vs inherited
「ancestral」著重於事物源自祖先的歷史淵源，而「inherited」則強調從前人（不一定是遠祖）那裡接收或獲得的事實。
ancestral vs familial
「ancestral」特指與祖先或久遠世代相關，而「familial」泛指與家庭或家族相關，時間跨度可近可遠。
口語用法
How is "Ancestral" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Ancestral"?
引述
在口語中，常用來引述或轉述家族、文化或傳統的來源，帶有「據說來自...」、「從...傳下來的」的意味。 EN: "This recipe is ancestral—my great-grandmother brought it with her." 翻譯: 這個食譜是祖傳的——我曾祖母帶過來的。
EN:"He says the land is ancestral, passed down for generations."
翻譯:他說這塊地是祖傳的，已經傳了好幾代。
語氣強調
用來強調某事物歷史悠久、根源深厚，並非近期產生，帶有鄭重或權威的語氣。 EN: "That's not just a hill; it's an ancestral burial ground." 翻譯: 那可不只是一座小山丘；那是祖先的埋葬地。
EN:"We have an ancestral duty to protect these forests."
翻譯:我們負有保護這些森林的祖先傳下的責任。
停頓填充
在描述家族歷史或個人根源時，作為一個概括性的形容詞，有時用於句子開頭或中間，稍作停頓以組織思緒。 EN: "Our ancestral... home was in the mountains before we moved to the city." 翻譯: 我們祖先的...老家在山上，之後我們才搬到城市。
EN:"It's connected to my ancestral, you know, heritage on my mother's side."
翻譯:這和我母親那邊的祖先，你知道的，傳承有關。
正式書寫注意：在正式或學術寫作中（如論文、報告），"ancestral" 一詞本身已足夠正式。但在極度嚴謹的法律或歷史文獻中，可能會使用更精確的術語如 "patrimonial"（祖傳的）、"lineal"（直系的）或 "progenitorial"（先祖的）來替代，以避免口語中可能帶有的模糊或情感色彩。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Ancestral"?What fixed phrases with "Ancestral" should I remember?
ancestral home
ancestral + home
祖居；祖宅；祖先居住的家園
ancestral land
ancestral + land
祖傳土地；祖先的土地
ancestral tradition
ancestral + tradition
祖先的傳統；祖傳習俗
ancestral wisdom
ancestral + wisdom
祖先的智慧
ancestral spirit
ancestral + spirit
祖靈；祖先的靈魂
ancestral line
ancestral + line
祖先世系；血脈
ancestral heritage
ancestral + heritage
祖先遺產；祖傳遺產
ancestral village
ancestral + village
祖籍村莊；故里
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Ancestral"?Which "Ancestral" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×He visited his ancestral.
✓He visited his ancestral home.
"Ancestral" is an adjective and must modify a noun. It cannot stand alone as a noun like "ancestor" can.
×This is the ancestral's land of my family.
✓This is my family's ancestral land.
"Ancestral" is an adjective and does not take the possessive 's. The possessive form should be applied to the noun it modifies (e.g., family's, our).
×The disease is ancestral in their family.
✓The disease is hereditary in their family.
"Ancestral" refers to things passed down from ancestors, like property, traditions, or titles. "Hereditary" is used for biological traits or diseases passed through genes.
×They have different ancestrals lands.
✓They have different ancestral lands.
The adjective "ancestral" does not change form (no plural -s) regardless of the number of the noun it modifies.
×We respect our ancestor traditions.
✓We respect our ancestral traditions.
Use the adjective "ancestral" to describe nouns like 'home', 'land', 'tradition'. Use the noun "ancestor" for the people themselves.
×This land is ancestral with our tribe.
✓This land is ancestral to our tribe.
The correct preposition to connect "ancestral" to the group that inherits it is "to".
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Ancestral"?What are tense/participle forms of "Ancestral"?