primogenitor

[prahy-muh-jen-i-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR primogenitor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a first parent or earliest ancestor: Adam and Eve are the primogenitors of the human race.

a forefather or ancestor.

Origin of primogenitor

1645–55; < Late Latin prīmōgenitor ancestor, equivalent to Latin prīmō at first + genitor genitor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for primogenitor

lineage, derivation, bloodline, forebear, founder, forefather, origin, parentage, descent, genealogy, antecedent, extraction, heritage, ancestor, predecessor, parent, precursor, begetter, primogenitor, family

British Dictionary definitions for primogenitor

primogenitor

noun

a forefather; ancestor

an earliest parent or ancestor, as of a race

Word Origin for primogenitor

C17: alteration of progenitor after primogeniture

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

Word Origin and History for primogenitor

"an ancestor," late 15c., from Medieval Latin primogenitor, from Latin primo (adv.) "first in order of time; at first," from primus "first" (see prime (adj.)) + genitor "father," from genitus, past participle of gignere "to beget" (see genus). Related: Primogenital; primogenitary. The fem. form is primogenitrix (1875). The rights of a second son are secundogeniture.