offspring

C1 Topic:Family & Relationships

Also spelled off-spring

US /ˈɔfspɹɪŋ/ UK /ˈɒfspɹɪŋ/ See IPA manual

noun Freq #10867

Meanings

1

noun
A person's child or children.

They are the offspring of Italian immigrants.
2

noun
The young of an animal or plant.

The female bird feeds her offspring several times a day.
3

noun
Something produced as a result of something else.

This new festival is the offspring of a small local fair.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person's child or children. child children issue

2 noun · the young of an animal or... young

3 noun · something produced as a... materialization

Opposites

ancestors father forbear forebear forefather genitor mother parent progenitor

Word family

Forms offsprings

Derived forms grandoffspringoffspringless

Etymology

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

ofspring Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Family & Relationships Word Formation & Derivatives

# offspring

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈɔfspɹɪŋ
**IPA (UK):** ˈɒfspɹɪŋ
**Frequency rank:** 10867

## Meanings
1. A person's child or children.
2. The young of an animal or plant.
3. Something produced as a result of something else.

## Examples
- They are the offspring of Italian immigrants.
- The female bird feeds her offspring several times a day.
- This new festival is the offspring of a small local fair.

## Antonyms
- ancestors
- father
- forbear
- forebear
- forefather
- genitor
- mother
- parent
- progenitor

## Derived Forms
- grandoffspring
- offspringless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ofspring

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

## AI Etymology
Offspring is from Middle English ofspring, from Old English ofspring (“offspring, descendants, posterity”), equivalent to off- + spring. Compare Icelandic afspringur (“offspring”). More at off, spring. Important historical forms include Middle English ofspring, and Old English ofspring. In present-day use, it can mean a person's child or children, or the young of an animal or plant. Derived formations include grandoffspring, offspringless.

## Topics
- Family & Relationships
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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offspring

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