noun
Meaning 1
A forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ancestor, forefather
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
progenitor
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /pɹəʊˈd͡ʒɛn.ɪ.tə/
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UK: /pɹəˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.tə/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: /pɹoʊˈd͡ʒɛn.ɪ.tɚ/
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US: /pɹəˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.tɚ/
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CMU ARPABET: P R OW0 JH EH1 N IH0 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A person from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation...) are descended.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Abraham, alias Ibrahim, is the presumed progenitor of both the Jewish and Arab peoples.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
An ancestral form of a species.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A predecessor of something, especially if also a precursor or model.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- ARPANET was the progenitor of the Internet.
- Are neural progenitor cells infected by Zika virus?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
Someone who originates something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A founder.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
an ancestor in the direct line
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: primogenitor
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, antecedent, root
Narrower terms: genitor
History
Etymology
From Middle English progenitour, from Anglo-Norman progenitour, Middle French progeniteur (Modern French progéniteur), and their etymon Latin prōgenitor, from prōgenitus, perfect participle of prōgignere (“to beget”), itself from prō- (“forth”) + gignere (“to beget”). By surface analysis, pro- (“prior, fore-”) + genitor.
Across languages
Translations
105 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: предшественик (predšestvenik) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Catalan: progenitor — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Catalan: progenitora — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Cebuano: giliwatan — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Chinese Mandarin: 祖先 (zǔxiān) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Chinese Mandarin: 先祖 (xiānzǔ) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Crimean Tatar: ecdat — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Czech: předek — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Czech: praotec — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Danish: forfader — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Dutch: voorouder — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Dutch: voorvader — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Finnish: esi-isä — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Finnish: kantaisä — any of a person's direct ancestors
- German: Ahn — any of a person's direct ancestors
- German: Vorfahr — any of a person's direct ancestors
- German: Vorfahre — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Greek: γεννήτορας (gennítoras) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Ancient Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Hindi: पूर्वज (pūrvaj) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Irish: sinsear — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Kazakh: ата-баба (ata-baba) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Kazakh: арғы ата (arğy ata) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Latin: prōgenitor — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Māori: uretū — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Norwegian Bokmål: stamfar — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Norwegian Nynorsk: stamfar — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Polish: przodek — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Portuguese: progenitor — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Romanian: strămoș — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Romanian: străbun — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Romanian: strămoașă — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Romanian: străbună — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Russian: прароди́тель (prarodítelʹ) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Russian: пре́док (prédok) — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Scottish Gaelic: gineadair — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Serbo-Croatian: прародитељ — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Spanish: progenitor — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Turkish: ata — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Turkish: cet — any of a person's direct ancestors
- Bulgarian: прародител (praroditel) — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Cebuano: giliwatan — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Danish: stamfader — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Dutch: patriarch — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Dutch: stamvader — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- German: Stammvater — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- German: Urahn — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- German: Vorfahr — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- German: Vorfahre — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Greek: πατριάρχης (patriárchis) — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Ancient Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Hindi: पुरखा (purkhā) — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Irish: sinsear — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Māori: uretū — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Māori: tipuna — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Portuguese: progenitor — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Turkish: cet — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Turkish: dede — an individual from which (a) people(s) descend
- Bulgarian: предшественик (predšestvenik) — an ancestral form of a species
- Dutch: stamvorm — an ancestral form of a species
- German: Vorfahr — an ancestral form of a species
- German: Vorfahre — an ancestral form of a species
- Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — an ancestral form of a species
- Irish: sinsear — an ancestral form of a species
- Turkish: ata — an ancestral form of a species
- Turkish: cet — an ancestral form of a species
- Bulgarian: предше́ственик (predšéstvenik) — a predecessor of something
- Czech: předchůdce — a predecessor of something
- Dutch: voorloper — a predecessor of something
- Dutch: voorafbeelding — a predecessor of something
- Finnish: edeltäjä — a predecessor of something
- German: Vorläufer — a predecessor of something
- Greek: πρόγονος (prógonos) — a predecessor of something
- Hindi: पूर्वज (pūrvaj) — a predecessor of something
- Polish: poprzednik — a predecessor of something
- Portuguese: progenitor — a predecessor of something
- Romanian: predecesor — a predecessor of something
- Romanian: precursor — a predecessor of something
- Russian: предте́ча (predtéča) — a predecessor of something
- Russian: предше́ственник (predšéstvennik) — a predecessor of something
- Scottish Gaelic: ro-theachdaire — a predecessor of something
- Serbo-Croatian: претеча — a predecessor of something
- Turkish: öncü — a predecessor of something
- Bulgarian: основател (osnovatel) — someone who originates something
- Czech: zakladatel — someone who originates something
- Danish: stifter — someone who originates something
- Danish: grundlægger — someone who originates something
- Dutch: stichter — someone who originates something
- Dutch: grondlegger — someone who originates something
- Finnish: isä — someone who originates something
- German: Erzeuger — someone who originates something
- German: Erzeugerin — someone who originates something
- Greek: γεννήτορας (gennítoras) — someone who originates something
- Hindi: जनक (janak) — someone who originates something
- Hindi: जन्मदाता (janmadātā) — someone who originates something
- Polish: prekursor — someone who originates something
- Polish: pomysłodawca — someone who originates something
- Russian: созда́тель (sozdátelʹ) — someone who originates something
- Russian: основа́тель (osnovátelʹ) — someone who originates something
- Scottish Gaelic: neach-stèidheachaidh — someone who originates something
- Serbo-Croatian: оснивач — someone who originates something
- Serbo-Croatian: творац — someone who originates something
- Turkish: üretici — someone who originates something
Real reading context