progeny
PROJ-uh-nee
/ˈprɒdʒəni/
A descendant or descendants; offspring collectively.
Often used as an uncountable or collective noun referring to descendants or biological outcomes.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'progenies', from 'progignere' ('pro-' forward + 'gignere' to produce or beget). It belongs to the ancient IE root *gene- meaning to give birth.
Word relationships
- offspring: Offspring is neutral and widely used; progeny is more formal, legal, or biological.
- descendants: Descendants spans across many generations; progeny usually refers to direct immediate or near offspring.
- ancestors: Ancestors are people from whom one is descended, rather than one's children.
- forebears: Forebears refers to ancestors or preceding generations.
Commonly confused with
- progenitor: Progenitor is the ancestor or parent; progeny is the child or descendant.
Word family
- progenitor (noun): A biological ancestor or originator.
Collocations
- numerous progeny
- direct progeny
- progeny testing
Example sentences
- "The genetic traits were passed down from the parent plant to its progeny over four generations." Genetics study
- "The monarch died without legitimate progeny, sparking a fierce war of succession." Historical biography
Memory hook
PROGENY comes from PROGENITOR (parents generate progeny). Progeny = the children produced by progenitors.
When not to use
Informal settings (e.g., 'I took my progeny to the park' sounds artificially pretentious).
Fun facts
- In agricultural science, 'progeny testing' is a method to evaluate an animal's breeding value by studying its offspring.
Explore more words
descendant, progenitor, patrimony, prolific, hereditary, ancestry
Also appears in
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