progenitor

noun/proʊˈdʒɛnɪtər/

Frequency rank: #15,194 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

An originator or ancestor; the first member of a lineage or tradition.

Illustration for the English word “progenitor”

Example sentence

Darwin is considered the intellectual progenitor of modern evolutionary theory.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 15,101–15,200