Link Centre Dictionary

offspring

offsp·ring

UK/ˈɒfspɹɪŋ/ US/ˈɔfspɹɪŋ/ fairly common

noun

1.

the immediate descendants of a person

  • “she was the mother of many offspring”
  • “he died without issue”
Synonyms
2.

something that comes into existence as a result

  • “industrialism prepared the way for acceptance of the French Revolution”
  • “;”
Synonyms
3.

any immature animal

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English ofspring, from Old English ofspring (“offspring, descendants, posterity”), equivalent to off- + spring. Compare Icelandic afspringur (“offspring”). More at off, spring.

Phrases

  • donor offspring
  • large offspring syndrome
  • parent-offspring conflict

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.