pro·gen·i·tor 
/proʊˈʤɛnətɚ/ noun
plural pro·gen·i·tors /proʊˈʤɛnətɚ/ noun [count] 1 formal a : someone who first thinks of or does something : a person who begins something
▪ the progenitors of modern art
b : something that is a model for something else : something that begins the development of something else
▪ a mechanical progenitor [=precursor] of the modern computer 2 biology : a person or animal in the past that is related to a person or animal living now : ancestor
▪ wild cats that were the progenitors of the house cat
▪ the progenitors of modern art
b : something that is a model for something else : something that begins the development of something else
▪ a mechanical progenitor [=precursor] of the modern computer
▪ wild cats that were the progenitors of the house cat
