noun

progenitor

proh-JEN-ih-ter/prəʊˈdʒenɪtər/

An ancestor from which a line descends.

The old apple tree is the progenitor of the younger trees.

A simple branching visual showing an old apple tree as the source of several younger apple trees, connected by subtle branchlike arrows, ancestor/source relation clear, no text.

Etymology

proLatinforth

+genLatinto produce, beget

+itorLatinone who

A progenitor is literally one who begets or produces forth, originally an ancestor or family founder. That relationship also supplies the broader sense of an original source from which something develops.

In context

Gamers Nexus8:21

IBM designed what it called a random access disc drive, which IBM calls the quote progenitor of all hard disk drives created since end quote.

The Hard Drive Cartel | Criminal Conspiracy & Price Fixing

More examples

Our family records identify Samuel as the progenitor of this branch.
These wild plants are progenitors of several cultivated varieties.
She traces her ancestry to a progenitor who lived in Virginia.

Forms

progenitor · progenitors

Similar words

ancestor: Ancestor covers any earlier relative, not necessarily a line's founder.
forebear: Forebear usually refers to a human ancestor, especially a distant one.