progenitor

IPA: proʊdʒˈɛnɪtɝ

A forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors.
An individual from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation...) are descended.
(biology) An ancestral form of a species.
(figuratively) A predecessor of something, especially if also a precursor or model.
(figuratively) Someone who originates something.
A founder.

Examples of "progenitor" in Sentences

CHRONOS: The earlier cells that are what are called progenitor cells, and they appear to be on the route to become muscle cells.
You have been called the progenitor of the modern African novel, and Things Fall Apart has maintained its resonance in the decades since it was written.
NICHOLAS CHRONOS, SAINT JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL: The earlier cells that what are called progenitor cells, and they appear to be on the route to become muscle cells.
Another obvious literary progenitor is Cormac McCarthy: Reading "Smonk" conjured up the memory of murderous necrophile Lester Ballard from McCarthy's "Child of God."
Doctors will inject a derivative of stem cells, called progenitor cells, that manufacture myelin, the substance that coats the long, spindly projections on nerve cells, much the same way that insulation coats electrical wires.
Male pattern baldness: A decline in activity by a special type of stem cell, known as a progenitor cell, found in human hair follicles appears to be responsible for male pattern baldness, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The progenitor is a crook named Armen Boladian who forged George Clinton's signature on an assignment of copyright and has now become a one-man lawsuit factory who threatens legal action against the entire hip-hop world (avid Clinton samplers) unless they pay him tribute.