progenitor

[proh-jen-i-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR progenitor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a biologically related ancestor: a progenitor of the species.

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

Nearby words

Origin of progenitor

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

Related formspro·gen·i·to·ri·al

[proh-jen-i-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-] /proʊˌdʒɛn ɪˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectivepro·gen·i·tor·ship, noun

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

Examples from the Web for progenitor

That extra spin in the progenitor star might have been enough to give the neutron star more magnetic power, making it a magnetar.
The Weirdest Object in the Universe|Matthew R. Francis|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So the name is appropriate if this machine is the progenitor of a robot race that will one day go to war.
The 'Killer Robot' Olympics|Christopher Dickey|December 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
FYMW is, in some ways, the progenitor of menswear on Tumblr.
Fuck Yeah Menswear Becomes a Book|Benjamin Schor|November 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Stylistically it is a progenitor of Invisible Man, which Ellison described as “realism that goes beyond and becomes surrealism.”
American Nightmare: Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’ at 60|Nathaniel Rich|June 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He is a progenitor of what could be called the degenerate school of American fiction.
American Dreams: ‘Tobacco Road’ by Erskine Caldwell|Nathaniel Rich|April 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Methinks you, by your native qualities, are as well entitled to her favor as ever your progenitor could have been.
The Marble Faun, Volume II.|Nathaniel Hawthorne
Reaumur proved that one individual, in five generations, may become the progenitor of nearly six thousand millions of descendants.
American Pomology|J. A. Warder
He was fostered by a king Anzius, the progenitor of the Amelungs (the Amalians).
Teutonic Mythology, Vol. 1 of 3|Viktor Rydberg, Ph.D.
But he is not only the progenitor of the Skjoldungs, but also of the Ynglings.
Teutonic Mythology, Vol. 1 of 3|Viktor Rydberg, Ph.D.
From these names is derived Haik, the son of Thorgom, the progenitor of the race.
The History of Antiquity, Vol. I (of VI)|Max Duncker

British Dictionary definitions for progenitor

progenitor

noun

a direct ancestor

an originator or founder of a future development; precursor

Word Origin for progenitor

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

Word Origin and History for progenitor

progenitor

late 14c., from Anglo-French progenitour (mid-14c.), Old French progeniteur (14c.) and directly from Latin progenitor "ancestor, the founder of a family," agent noun from progenitus, past participle of progignere (see progeny). Related: Progenitive; progenital; progenitrix (c.1600).

Medicine definitions for progenitor

progenitor

[prō-jĕn′ĭ-tər]

n.

A direct ancestor.

An originator of a line of descent.

progenitor

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of progenitor

Examples from the Web for progenitor

progenitor

noun

Word Origin for progenitor

progenitor

progenitor

n.