offspring

The word “offspring” means a person's child, or an animal's or plant's young. In plain terms, a child or young — the direct product of a parent, whether human, animal, or plant.

“Offspring” is pronounced OFSP-rihng (/ˈɔfspɹɪŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “offspring” used in a sentence: “The couple raised their offspring in the countryside.”

The opposite of “offspring” — its antonyms — are genitor, parent, progenitor, father and mother.

“Offspring” is a noun.

The word “offspring” comes from Old English. From Old English ofspring, formed from off- plus spring, in the sense of something that "springs from" a parent.

“Offspring” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.

Offspring is a broader term that can refer to a person's child or an animal's or plant's young, making it applicable across species. Children specifically refers to human offspring, so offspring is the more general and often more formal or scientific choice.

Offspring has the same form in both singular and plural use, so it can refer to one child or young animal as well as many, such as "a single offspring" or "several offspring." It does not take a separate plural form like "offsprings."

Offspring carries a more formal or scientific tone than everyday words like kids or young, and it is frequently used in biology, genetics, and legal contexts. In casual conversation, people are more likely to say children, kids, or babies instead.