progenitor

English

WOTD – 5 July 2009    

Alternative forms

• progenitour (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English, from Middle French progeniteur (Modern French progéniteur), from Latin progenitor, from progenitus, perfect participle of progignere (“to beget”), itself from pro- (“forth”) + gignere (“to beget”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /pɹəʊˈdʒɛn.ɪ.tə/, /pɹəˈdʒɛn.ə.tə/
• (US) IPA: /pɹoʊˈdʒɛn.ɪ.tɚ/, /pɹəˈdʒɛn.ə.tɚ/

Noun

progenitor (plural progenitors)

1. A forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors
2. An individual from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation...) are descended.

   Abraham alias Ibrahim is the progenitor of both the Jewish and Arab peoples.

3. (biology) An ancestral form of a species
4. (figuratively) A predecessor of something, especially if also a precursor or model.

   ARPANET was the progenitor of the Internet.

5. (figuratively) Someone who originates something.
6. A founder

Derived terms

• legendary progenitor

Related terms

• progeny

Translations

any of a person's direct ancestors

• Crimean Tatar: ecdat
• Czech: předek (cs) m, praotec (cs) m
• Dutch: voorouder (nl) m, voorvader (nl) m
• Finnish: esi-isä (fi), kantaisä (fi)
• German: Ahn (de) m, Stammvater (de) m, Vorfahr (de) m, Vorfahre (de) m
• Greek: πρόγονος (el) (prógonos) m , γεννήτορας (el) (genítoras) m 
• Irish: sinsear (ga) m

• Maori: uretū (mi)
• Polish: przodek (pl)
• Romanian: strămoș (ro) m, străbun (ro) m, strămoașă f
• Russian: прародитель (ru) (prarodít'el') m , предок (ru) (pr'édok) m 
• Scottish Gaelic: gineadair (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: прародитељ (sh) m
• Spanish: progenitor (es) m and f
• Turkish: ata (tr), cet (tr)

an individual from which (a) people(s) descend

• Dutch: patriarch m, stamvader m
• German: Ahn (de) m, Vorfahr (de) m, Vorfahre (de) m
• Greek: πρόγονος (el) (prógonos) m , πατριάρχης (el) (patriárkhis) m 

• Irish: sinsear (ga) m
• Maori: uretū (mi)
• Turkish: cet (tr), dede (tr)

an ancestral form of a species

• Dutch: stamvorm
• German: Vorfahr (de) m, Vorfahre (de) m
• Greek: πρόγονος (el) (prógonos) m 

• Irish: sinsear (ga) m
• Turkish: ata (tr), cet (tr)

a predecessor of something

• Czech: předchůdce (cs) m
• Dutch: voorloper m, voorafbeelding m
• Finnish: edeltäjä (fi)
• German: Vorläufer (de) m
• Greek: πρόγονος (el) (prógonos) m 
• Polish: poprzednik (pl)

• Romanian: predecesor (ro) m and n, precursor (ro) m and n
• Russian: предтеча (ru) (pr'edt'éča) m and f , предшественник (ru) (pr'edšéstv'ennik) m 
• Scottish Gaelic: ro-theachdaire (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: претеча (sh) m
• Turkish: öncü (tr), öncü (tr)

someone who originates something

• Czech: zakladatel (cs) m
• Dutch: geestelijke vader m, stichter m, grondlegger m
• Finnish: isä (fi)
• German: Erzeuger (de) m, Erzeugerin (de) f
• Greek: γεννήτορας (el) (genítoras) m 

• Polish: prekursor (pl), pomysłodawca (pl)
• Russian: создатель (ru) (sozdát'el') m , основатель (ru) (osnovát'el') m 
• Scottish Gaelic: neach-stèidheachaidh (gd) m
• Serbo-Croatian: оснивач (sh) m, творац (sh) m
• Turkish: üretici (tr)

founder — see founder

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: auteur m, patriarche m, précurseur m, ancètre m
• Italian: progenitore m, precursore m

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Latin

Noun

prōgenitor (genitive prōgenitōris); m, third declension

1. ancestor, progenitor

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	prōgenitor	prōgenitōrēs
genitive	prōgenitōris	prōgenitōrum
dative	prōgenitōrī	prōgenitōribus
accusative	prōgenitōrem	prōgenitōrēs
ablative	prōgenitōre	prōgenitōribus
vocative	prōgenitor	prōgenitōrēs

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Spanish

Noun

progenitor m (plural progenitores, feminine singular progenitora, feminine plural progenitoras)

1. progenitor