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progenitor

American  
[proh-jen-i-ter] / proʊˈdʒɛn ɪ tər /

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.
progenitor British  
/ prəʊˈdʒɛnɪtə /

noun

  1. a direct ancestor

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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • progenitorial adjective
  • progenitorship noun

Etymology

Origin of progenitor

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.