offspring
nounUK /ˈɒfspɹɪŋ/ · US /ˈɔfspɹɪŋ/
Etymology From Middle English ofspring, from Old English ofspring (“offspring, descendants, posterity”), equivalent to off- + spring. Compare Icelandic afspringur (“offspring”). More at off, spring.
1
A person's daughter or son; a person's child.
- We are the offspring of Italian immigrants.
2
Any of a person's descendants, including of further generations.
3
An animal or plant's progeny or young.
- In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
4
Figuratively Anything produced; the result of an entity's efforts.
- Artists often treasure their works as their immortal offspring.
5
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A process launched by another process.
- Synonyms
- baby, babies, child, children, fruit of one's loins, issue, get, kid, kids, binary clone, descendants, lineage, progeny, seed
- Antonyms
- genitor, parent, progenitor, father, mother, ancestors, forbear, forebear, forefather