progenitor

[ proh-jen-i-ter ]
See synonyms for progenitor on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a biologically related ancestor: a progenitor of the species.

  2. a person or thing that first indicates a direction, originates something, or serves as a model; predecessor; precursor: the progenitor of modern painting.

Origin of progenitor

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin prōgenitor the founder of a family. See pro-1, genitor

Other words from progenitor

  • pro·gen·i·to·ri·al [proh-jen-i-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-], /proʊˌdʒɛn ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjective
  • pro·gen·i·tor·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use progenitor in a sentence

  • But first of all, let me advert to one or two cases where divinity is ascribed without progenitorship.

    The Science of Fairy Tales | Edwin Sidney Hartland

British Dictionary definitions for progenitor

progenitor

/ (prəʊˈdʒɛnɪtə) /


noun
  1. a direct ancestor

  2. an originator or founder of a future development; precursor

Origin of progenitor

1
C14: from Latin: ancestor, from pro- 1 + genitor parent, from gignere to beget

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012