progenitor

noun

pro·​gen·​i·​tor prō-ˈje-nə-tər 

prə-

1

a

: an ancestor in the direct line : forefather

b

: a biologically ancestral form

2

: precursor, originator

progenitors of socialist ideas

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

progenitor cells

Synonyms

• ancestor
• father
• forebear
• forbear
• forebearer
• forefather
• grandfather
• primogenitor

Examples of progenitor in a Sentence

the progenitors of modern art

wild cats that were the progenitors of the house cat

Recent Examples on the Web

New York is usually considered the antithesis of sprawl and Los Angeles the progenitor of it. —Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025

Meanwhile, most Cretaceous avian progenitors appear more birdlike, with short tails ending in a compound bone called a pygostyle. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2025

The company isolated expandable endothelial progenitor cells from the blood of red wolves to make their clones. —Emily Mullin, Wired News, 7 Apr. 2025

In this timeless progenitor of low-budget horror cinema, a woman survives a devastating car accident and begins seeing paranormal visions of ghoulish men who pursue her to the ends of the earth and her sanity. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English progenitour, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin prōgenitor "individual from whom a person or family is descended, ancestor," agentive derivative of prōgignere "to produce as offspring, bring into being, give rise to" (from prō- pro- entry 2 + gignere "to bring into being, beget, give birth to"), after genitor "father, parent, originator," going back to Indo-European *ǵenh₁- "engender, beget" + *-tor/*-tōr, agent suffix, from which also Greek genétōr "father, begetter, ancestor," Sanskrit janitar-, janitá "father, progenitor" — more at kin entry 1

Note: Alternatively genitor has been explained as a new formation based on genitus, past participle of gignere. The older and still somewhat more attractive view sees genitus as the new formation, based on the perfect genuī or on genitor itself, after the connection with the original verbal adjective (g)nātus (going back to zero-grade *ǵn̥h₁-to-) became weakened.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for progenitor

• senator

Medical Definition

progenitor

noun

pro·​gen·​i·​tor prō-ˈjen-ət-ər, prə- 

1

: an ancestor of an individual in a direct line of descent along which some or all of the ancestral genes could theoretically have passed

2

: a biologically ancestral form