progenitor
noun
[ prə(ʊ)ˈdʒɛnɪtə ]
• a person or thing from which a person, animal, or plant is descended or originates; an ancestor or parent.
• "his children were the progenitors of many of Scotland's noble families"
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French progeniteur, from Latin progenitor, from progenit- ‘begotten’, from the verb progignere, from pro- ‘forward’ + gignere ‘beget’.
