noun · academic
progenitor
/prəˈdʒɛnɪtər/pro·GEN·i·tor
a person or thing from which a person, family, or species is descended or originates; an ancestor or originator
Examples
“They regarded him as the progenitor of their literary tradition.”
“The virus was traced to a progenitor strain circulating years earlier.”
“Many modern breeds can be linked to a common progenitor.”
Band 8 sentence
“Biologists identified a likely progenitor species from which several modern variants diverged millennia ago.”
Collocations
- progenitor of
- early progenitors
Word family
Common mistakes
He is the progeny of a famous painter.→He is the progenitor of a famous painter.
The novel's progenitor is unknown.→The novel's progenitor (i.e. founder/early model) is unknown.
Say it for a higher band
5ancestor→6forefather→7+progenitor
Synonyms
forefather
ancestor
Easily confused
progeny
“Modern breeds can be traced back to a common progenitor.”
Related words
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In Family & Relationships
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