Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A direct ancestor. See Synonyms at ancestor.
- n. An originator of a line of descent; a precursor.
- n. An originator; a founder: progenitors of the new music.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. A forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors
- n. An individual from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation...) are descended.
- n. An ancestral form of a species
- n. A predecessor of something, especially if also a precursor or model.
- n. Someone who originates something.
- n. A founder
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. An ancestor in the direct line; a forefather.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An ancestor in the direct line; a forefather; a parent.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. an ancestor in the direct line
Etymologies
Middle English progenitour, from Old French progeniteur, from Latin prōgenitor, from prōgenitus, past participle of prōgignere, to beget : prō-, forward; see pro-1 + gignere, gen-, to beget; see genə- in Indo-European roots.
(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)From Middle English, from Middle French progeniteur (Modern French progéniteur), from Latin progenitor, from progenitus, perfect participle of progignere ("to beget"), itself from pro- ("forth") + gignere ("to beget"). (Wiktionary)
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