progenitor

pro·gen·i·tor

noun \prō-ˈje-nə-tər, prə-\

Definition of PROGENITOR

1

a : an ancestor in the direct line : forefather b : a biologically ancestral form

2

: precursor, originator <progenitors of socialist ideas — Times Literary Supplement> <progenitor cells>

Examples of PROGENITOR

1. the progenitors of modern art
2. wild cats that were the progenitors of the house cat

Origin of PROGENITOR

Middle English, from Anglo-French progenitour, from Latin progenitor, from progignere to beget, from pro- forth + gignere to beget — more at kin

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PROGENITOR

Synonyms: father, forebear (also forbear), forebearer, forefather, grandfather, primogenitor, ancestor

Antonyms: descendant (also descendent)

Related Words: antecessor, predecessor [archaic]; ancestress, foremother, grandmother, matriarch; grandsire [archaic], patriarch, sire [archaic]; ancestry, antecedents, roots

Near Antonyms: children, family, issue, lineage, offspring, posterity, progeny, seed, stock; daughter, heir, inheritor, scion, son, successor

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Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate