auncestre

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman auncestre, nominative of auncessour (see auncessour), from Latin antecessor, a compound of ante +‎ cedo +‎ -tor; thus a doublet of antecessour and auncessour. First attested in c. 1300.

Forms such as /a(u̯)nˈsɛtrə/ reflect either dissimilatory loss of /s/ or borrowing of Romance forms with preconsonantal loss of /s/.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a(u̯)nˈsɛstrə/, /a(u̯)nˈsɛtrə/, /-ər/
  • IPA(key): /ˈa(u̯)nsɛstər/, /ˈa(u̯)nsɛtər/, /-rə/ (with stress shift)

Noun

auncestre (plural auncestres)

  1. An ancestor or progenitor; someone that a person is descended from.
  2. (rare) A predecessor; an officeholder preceding a person.

Descendants

  • English: ancestor
  • Middle Scots: auncester (hapax)

References

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