A series of ancestors or progenitors; lineage, or those who compose the line of natural descent.
Condition as to ancestors; ancestral lineage; hence, birth or honorable descent.
An ancestral form of a species.
A forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors.
A predecessor of something, especially if also a precursor or model.
A founder.
Someone who originates something.
An individual from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation...) are descended.