progenitor

noun

pro·gen·i·tor prō-ˈje-nə-tər

prə-

Synonyms of progenitor next

: an ancestor in the direct line : forefather

: a biologically ancestral form

: precursor, originator

progenitors of socialist ideas—

The Times Literary Supplement (London)

progenitor cells

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

While Bologna and Modena engaged in a friendly dispute over the paternity of Tortellini for centuries, the town of Castelfranco Emilia was declared its progenitor in the 1800s. —

Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 Overall, Double Exposure honors players’ personal experience with its progenitor by making your past decisions reverberate in Max’s. —

Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2024 But Gilmour, who joined psych-prog progenitors Pink Floyd two years after the band’s 1965 inception, proved vibrant and vital at his fourth show in Los Angeles and final evening of a three-night-stand at the Hollywood Bowl. —

Katherine Turman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024 Among the astronomers, it is generally believed that these nuclei are the fragments released from a common progenitor. —

Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for progenitor

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of progenitor was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Progenitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/progenitor. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

progenitor

noun

pro·gen·i·tor prō-ˈjen-ət-ər, prə-

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

: a biologically ancestral form

Last Updated: 16 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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progenitor

noun

Synonyms

Examples of progenitor in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near progenitor

Cite this Entry

Medical Definition