Progenitor

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Progenitor \Pro*gen"i*tor\, n. [OF. progeniteur, L. progenitor,
     fr. progignere, progenitum, to bring forth, to beget; pro
     forth + gignere to beget. See {Gender} kind.]
     An ancestor in the direct line; a forefather.
     [1913 Webster]
  


           And reverence thee their great progenitor. --Milton.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  progenitor
       n : an ancestor in the direct line [syn: {primogenitor}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  37 Moby Thesaurus words for "progenitor":
     ancestor, ancestors, ancestress, antecedent, antecedents,
     archetype, ascendant, ascendants, begetter, elders, fathers,
     forebear, forebears, forefather, forefathers, foregoer, forerunner,
     grandfathers, grandparent, grandparents, guide, origin, original,
     originator, parent, patriarchs, pattern, precursor, predecessor,
     predecessors, primogenitor, procreator, progenitors, progenitress,
     progenitrix, prototype, source