propositus
(prəʊˈpɒzɪtʌs)
Pl. propositi.
[a. L. prōpositus, pa. pple. of prōpōnere (see propone v.).]
An individual who was the first member of a family to come to the notice of a researcher, and through whom investigation of a pedigree began. Cf. proband, proposita.
| 1926 Eugenics Rev. XVIII. 248 ☛ Points to the Propositus or central figure in the pedigree. 1939 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. XXX. 9 When propositi are separated into groups of comparable mental grade, defect is seen to be more common among relatives of simpletons than among relatives of idiots. 1956 Nature 7 Jan. 40/1 The factor was transmitted to them by the paternal grandmother (generation II) of the propositus. 1961 Lancet 19 Aug. 437/2 We have collected the details of 107 sibships; the propositi attended our clinics. 1977 Ibid. 3 Sept. 504/1 The propositus (family C) presented with pituitary insufficiency. |