auncestrie

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman auncestrie (continental Old French ancesserie, ancessorie); by surface analysis, auncestre +‎ -ie. First attested in c. 1400.

As in auncestre, forms such as /ˌa(u̯)nsɛˈtriː(ə)/ reflect either dissimilatory loss of /s/ or borrowing of Romance forms with preconsonantal loss of /s/.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌa(u̯)nsɛsˈtriː(ə)/, /ˌa(u̯)nsɛˈtriː(ə)/
  • IPA(key): /ˈa(u̯)nsɛstriː(ə)/, /ˈa(u̯)nsɛtriː(ə)/ (with stress shift)

Noun

auncestrie (uncountable)

  1. The lineage or descent of a person; ancestry.
  2. (collectively) The ancestors or progenitors of a person.

Descendants

  • English: ancestry
  • Middle Scots: anchestry, ancistry (hapax)

References