Progenitor Meaning
/pɹəʊˈd͡ʒɛn.ɪ.tə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors.
nounA person from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation…) are descended.
Sentence Examples
The progenitor of the human race was named Tom.
Our progenitor was a preeminent rabbi in Lodz.
CEFR Practice Quiz
According to evolutionary theory, that fossil species is the ____ of modern birds.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Darwin is considered the ____ of modern evolutionary theory through his work on natural selection.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"From its inception, the index has provided a window onto the history of the book, for it took the advent of a particular type of book — the codex, a sheaf of pages fastened along one edge — to make an index a practical possibility. The progenitor of the modern bound book, the codex gradually supplanted the scroll, a medium inimical to the indexer’s art."
— 2022 February 15, Margalit Fox, “Look It Up? Only if You’re Dishonest and Ignorant”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2022:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
According to evolutionary theory, that fossil species is the ____ of modern birds.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Darwin is considered the ____ of modern evolutionary theory through his work on natural selection.