An ancestor is a person from whom you are descended. Your ancestors are your

• parents,
• grandparents,
• great-grandparents,
• great-great-grandparents, and so on.

Your mother’s ancestors are your maternal ancestors. Your father’s ancestors are your paternal ancestors. You are a descendant of your ancestors. Your descendants are your

• children,
• grandchildren,
• great-grandchildren, and so on.

The relationships between you and your ancestors and you and your descendants are known as lineal (straight-line) relationships.