progenitor
part of speech
noun (a progenitor, progenitors) — formal
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) A person or animal from whom others are descended, an ancestor: «the progenitor of the family». tree →
2) (formal) A person or thing that starts a movement, idea or style; a founder or first model: «the progenitor of rock music». tree →
3) (science) A cell or living thing that later things develop from. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history and family-tree work it names the first ancestor; in science (evolution, cells) it names the starting form. In stories it gives a grand, old-fashioned feel. Phrases: «the progenitor of», «a common progenitor».
examples
- Many offspring or derivations came from the latter three, as their progenitors, as it is explained afterwards in the chapter. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
- He was the progenitor of a long line of farmers. tree →
- The wolf is the progenitor of all pet dogs. tree →
- Some call that band the progenitor of punk music. tree →
- Scientists study progenitor cells that grow into blood cells. tree →
- Adam is called the progenitor of humankind in the Bible. tree →
- The Wright brothers' plane was the progenitor of every modern aircraft. tree →
note
Countable: progenitor, progenitors. Formal; simpler: «ancestor», «forefather», «founder». The «progeny» are the children or descendants, the opposite end of the family tree.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «progenitor» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.