offspring

[awf-spring, of-]

noun

plural

offspring, offsprings 

1. children or young of a particular parent or progenitor.

2. a child or animal in relation to the parent or parents.

3. a descendant.

4. descendants collectively.

5. the product, result, or effect of something.

   the offspring of an inventive mind.

offspring

/ ˈɒfˌsprɪŋ /

noun

1. the immediate descendant or descendants of a person, animal, etc; progeny

2. a product, outcome, or result

Word History and Origins

Origin of offspring¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English ofspring; off, of ¹, spring (in the sense “to descend from”)

Example Sentences

In one advertisement, the Emmy-nominated actor who is blond says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

This wasp hunts the spider to feed its offspring, according to the National Parks Service.

From Los Angeles Times

They are known to form colonies well in excess of 200 adult animals - plus their offspring.

From BBC

Families were torn apart, a situation that was repeated again when church offspring like myself wanted to leave.

From Salon

South Africa's two biggest political parties are in an unhappy marriage, but neither side wants to file divorce papers as it could damage them and, ultimately, their offspring - South African voters.

From BBC

Related Words

• baby 
• brood 
• child 
• cub 
• daughter 
• descendant 
• generation 
• heir 
• kid 
• progeny 
• pup 
• son