common ancestor

English

Noun

common ancestor (plural common ancestors)

1. An ancestor that two or more descendants have in common.

   The monarchs of Spain and the UK have a common ancestor namely Queen Victoria.

   The chimpanzee and the gorilla have a common ancestor.

   The theory of evolution states that all life on Earth has a common ancestor.

Derived terms

• last common ancestor

 

Translations

common ancestor

• Finnish: yhteinen esi-isä
• German: gemeinsamer Vorfahre m
• Hungarian: közös ős
• Russian: о́бщий пре́док m (óbščij prédok)