Progenitor
noun
A person or thing from which a person, animal, or plant is developed.
He could be considered a progenitor of modern chemistry.
Often appears as...
- progenitor cell
- progenitor species
noun
A person who first thinks of something and causes it to happen.
Isaac Newton is the progenitor of classical mechanics.
Often appears as...
- progenitor of the idea
- progenitor of the movement
noun
An action, process, or design serving as a model for later stages.
The progenitor of this design was an ancient Egyptian pyramid.
Often appears as...
- progenitor of the design
- progenitor of the model
Usage tips
Technical
noun
An original model on which something is patterned.
This statue is the progenitor of all the copies you will find in the city.
Often appears as...
- progenitor of the sculpture
- progenitor of the artwork
Usage tips
Technical
noun
A person or thing from which a person, animal, or plant is developed.
He could be considered a progenitor of modern chemistry.
Often appears as...
- progenitor cell
- progenitor species
noun
A person who first thinks of something and causes it to happen.
Isaac Newton is the progenitor of classical mechanics.
Often appears as...
- progenitor of the idea
- progenitor of the movement
noun
An action, process, or design serving as a model for later stages.
The progenitor of this design was an ancient Egyptian pyramid.
Often appears as...
- progenitor of the design
- progenitor of the model
Usage tips
Technical
noun
An original model on which something is patterned.
This statue is the progenitor of all the copies you will find in the city.
Often appears as...
- progenitor of the sculpture
- progenitor of the artwork
Usage tips
Technical
Definition 1 of 4
Pro Tip 1/3Historical Relevance
Use 'progenitor' to highlight a historical connection or influence on present entities.
The Greek philosophers were the progenitors of Western philosophy.
Pro Tip 2/3Biological Context
'Progenitor' is often used in biology to discuss origins of species or cells.
These fossils represent the progenitors of modern birds.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Contemporary
It usually refers to something that existed in the past, not current individuals or entities.
The steam engine was a progenitor to modern locomotives.
Pro Tip 1/3Historical Relevance
Use 'progenitor' to highlight a historical connection or influence on present entities.
The Greek philosophers were the progenitors of Western philosophy.
Pro Tip 2/3Biological Context
'Progenitor' is often used in biology to discuss origins of species or cells.
These fossils represent the progenitors of modern birds.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Contemporary
It usually refers to something that existed in the past, not current individuals or entities.
The steam engine was a progenitor to modern locomotives.
Pro Tip 1/3Historical Relevance
Use 'progenitor' to highlight a historical connection or influence on present entities.
The Greek philosophers were the progenitors of Western philosophy.
Pro Tip 2/3Biological Context
'Progenitor' is often used in biology to discuss origins of species or cells.
These fossils represent the progenitors of modern birds.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Contemporary
It usually refers to something that existed in the past, not current individuals or entities.
The steam engine was a progenitor to modern locomotives.
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Video examples
Could your brain repair...
But a series of recent discoveries has revealed that adult brains actually do continue to produce new cells in at least three specialized locations. This process, known as neurogenesis, involves dedicated brain cells, called neural stem cells and progenitor cells,
Video examples
Wade Davis: The...
and the imagination -- the imagination as we know it -- came into being when our species descended from our progenitor, Homo erectus, and, infused with consciousness, began a journey that would carry it to every corner of the habitable world.
Video examples
Could your brain repair...
But a series of recent discoveries has revealed that adult brains actually do continue to produce new cells in at least three specialized locations. This process, known as neurogenesis, involves dedicated brain cells, called neural stem cells and progenitor cells,
Video examples
Wade Davis: The...
and the imagination -- the imagination as we know it -- came into being when our species descended from our progenitor, Homo erectus, and, infused with consciousness, began a journey that would carry it to every corner of the habitable world.
Example 1 of 2
Quote examples
Charles Duhigg
American Journalist
General Atomics, the progenitor of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, started life in 1955 when a major military contractor, General Dynamics, feared that the military hardware market might dry up. It began exploring peacetime uses of atomic energy, but abandoned the effort when cold-war military spending took off.
Quote examples
Adrian Pasdar
American Actor
What you would call a 'lead,' I've always considered a supporting part, and what people would call 'supporting parts,' I've considered leads. In a way, I look at it in reverse, because supporting parts - when they're done correctly - are the ones that are progenitors for storylines, to move forward.
Quote examples
Jeffrey Toobin
American Lawyer
Rodney King is a progenitor of all these cell phone videos that we have. It was unusual that a person had a video camera to take a picture of the Rodney King beating. Now, of course, everybody has a phone, and that has been one of the key factors in all the new attention to the issue.
Quote examples
Rick Tumlinson
American Businessman
Homo Sapiens is a frontier creature. It is what we do; it defines what we are. This has been true from our very beginnings. It is the core reason our progenitors wandered forth from the first primordial valleys in search of more room, better hunting, or more fertile soil.
Quote examples
Peter R. Grant
American Scientist
The divergence of songs in the new population away from those in the progenitor population would only be prevented if these processes were balanced by repeated immigration and subsequent breeding: song flow.
Quote examples
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
American Scientist
If we are to have faith that mankind will survive and thrive on the face of the earth, we must believe that each succeeding generation will be wiser than its progenitors.
Quote examples
Brian Cox
Actor
I'm 100% Celt. In fact, I'm directly related to the progenitor of the high kings of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Quote examples
William Robertson Smith
Scottish Scientist
The god, it would appear, was frequently thought of as the physical progenitor or first father of his people.
Quote examples
Charles Duhigg
American Journalist
General Atomics, the progenitor of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, started life in 1955 when a major military contractor, General Dynamics, feared that the military hardware market might dry up. It began exploring peacetime uses of atomic energy, but abandoned the effort when cold-war military spending took off.
Quote examples
Adrian Pasdar
American Actor
What you would call a 'lead,' I've always considered a supporting part, and what people would call 'supporting parts,' I've considered leads. In a way, I look at it in reverse, because supporting parts - when they're done correctly - are the ones that are progenitors for storylines, to move forward.
Quote examples
Jeffrey Toobin
American Lawyer
Rodney King is a progenitor of all these cell phone videos that we have. It was unusual that a person had a video camera to take a picture of the Rodney King beating. Now, of course, everybody has a phone, and that has been one of the key factors in all the new attention to the issue.
Quote examples
Rick Tumlinson
American Businessman
Homo Sapiens is a frontier creature. It is what we do; it defines what we are. This has been true from our very beginnings. It is the core reason our progenitors wandered forth from the first primordial valleys in search of more room, better hunting, or more fertile soil.
Quote examples
Peter R. Grant
American Scientist
The divergence of songs in the new population away from those in the progenitor population would only be prevented if these processes were balanced by repeated immigration and subsequent breeding: song flow.
Quote examples
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
American Scientist
If we are to have faith that mankind will survive and thrive on the face of the earth, we must believe that each succeeding generation will be wiser than its progenitors.
Quote examples
Brian Cox
Actor
I'm 100% Celt. In fact, I'm directly related to the progenitor of the high kings of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Quote examples
William Robertson Smith
Scottish Scientist
The god, it would appear, was frequently thought of as the physical progenitor or first father of his people.
Example 1 of 8
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