n.
Pronunciation: pr ō - ' je-n ə -t ə r, pr ə -
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French progenitour, from Latin progenitor, from progignere to beget, from pro- forth + gignere to beget ― more at KIN
Date: 14th century
1 a : an ancestor in the direct line : FOREFATHER b : a biologically ancestral form
2 : PRECURSOR , ORIGINATOR < progenitor s of socialist ideas ― Times Lit. Supp. > < progenitor cells>