Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913
Progenitor
Pro·gen′i·tor (·jĕn′ĭ·tẽr), n. [OF. progeniteur, L. progenitor, fr. progignere, progenitum, to bring forth, to beget; pro forth + gignere to beget. See Gender kind.] An ancestor in the direct line; a forefather.
And reverence thee their great progenitor. Milton.