progeny

American  

[proj-uh-nee] / ˈprɒdʒ ə ni /

noun

progenies plural

1. a descendant or offspring, as a child, plant, or animal.

2. such descendants or offspring collectively.

3. something that originates or results from something else; outcome; issue.

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progeny British  

/ ˈprɒdʒɪnɪ /

noun

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

2. a result or outcome

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Etymology

Origin of progeny

1250–1300; Middle English progenie < Middle French < Latin prōgeniēs offspring, equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + gen-, base of gignere to beget (akin to kin ) + -iēs feminine noun suffix

Explanation

Progeny means "offspring" or "children." You and your brothers are the progeny of your parents, and your cat's new litter of kittens is her progeny. Synonyms for progeny include descendants, product, and offspring, so you're also your grandparents' and great-grandparents' progeny. And, if your pet goat has babies every spring, you'll get to raise dozens of her progeny. Plants have progeny too — blow the fluffy seeds of a dandelion in your yard and its progeny can multiply, summer after summer, until your lawn is full of cheerful yellow flowers.

Example Sentences

And Standard Oil’s progeny formed the core of the “Seven Sisters” oil majors that divvied up among themselves the Middle East’s resources until the 1970s.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

“It was an odd pairing: Harold Macmillan, the inhibited, repressed publisher’s son, and Bob Boothby, the warm, witty progeny of an Edinburgh banker,” writes Lynne Olson.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

And, as The Times noted in a 1997 review of Ozzfest, “Since Black Sabbath’s ‘70s heyday, its progeny have upped the ante considerably when it comes to rock’s shock value.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

Rich men can afford to support lots of progeny they never have to see.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2025

Biologists used to entertain themselves by speculating as to what would happen if, through some unthinkable catastrophe, the natural restraints were thrown off and all the progeny of a single individual survived.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson