progeny

noun

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prog·e·ny | \ ˈprä-jə-nē

plural progenies

Definition of progeny

1a : descendants, children

b : offspring of animals or plants

2 : outcome, product

3 : a body of followers, disciples, or successors

Synonyms The Lineage of Progeny Example Sentences Learn More about progeny

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The Lineage of Progeny

Progeny is the progeny of the Latin verb progignere, meaning "to beget." That Latin word is itself an offspring of the prefix pro-, meaning "forth," and gignere, which can mean "to beget" or "to bring forth." Gignere has produced a large family of English descendants, including benign (meaning "mild" or "harmless"), congenital (meaning "inherent"), engine, genius,germ,indigenous,ingenuous, and malign. Gignere even paired up with pro- again to produce a close relative of progeny: the noun progenitor, which can mean "an ancestor in the direct line," "a biologically ancestral form," or "a precursor or originator."

Examples of progeny in a Sentence

Many Americans are the progeny of immigrants. The small plants are the progeny of an oak tree. Their work is the progeny of many earlier studies.

Recent Examples on the Web Gary Cartwright, the runt of Blackie Sherrod’s literary progeny at the old Fort Worth Press, left the toy department at an early age but never outgrew it. — Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, "Writing from the porch: Kevin Sherrington’s tranquil perch to capture a bizarre year in sports," 29 Dec. 2020 Sire is Into Mischief whose progeny loves this racetrack. — Michael Beychok, NOLA.com, "Check out Michael Beychok's Fair Grounds picks for Saturday, Dec. 19," 18 Dec. 2020 When the opportunity arises, hibernating phages may awaken and produce many progeny, killing their host cells. — David Pride, Scientific American, "Viruses Can Help Us as Well as Harm Us," 7 Dec. 2020 But there is a way to accelerate and improve on nature’s efforts, by identifying trees with resistance genes and designing a breeding program that strengthens their progeny’s defenses. — Stephanie Pain, Smithsonian Magazine, "Why Tree-Killing Epidemics Are on the Rise," 28 Sep. 2020 So when asked about his Heat progeny of Adebayo, Herro, Robinson and Nunn, Kammerer said his first team remains grandchildren Maverick, Mason, Charlise, Cord, Ryder, Stetson, Natasha and Chase. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "Miami Heat still ‘feel the fire’ when it comes to mentor’s NBA draft evaluation," 8 Nov. 2020 When the Blackledges seek to rescue their progeny, American hell breaks loose. — Armond White, National Review, "Let Him Go: A Morally Superior Neo-Western," 6 Nov. 2020 Although the title of the movie contains a masculine pronoun, Lane is pleased it’s really about what three women with competing motives will do to protect their progeny. — Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, "Diane Lane hopes 'Let Him Go' movie captures book the way readers envisioned it," 5 Nov. 2020 Great Notion has been Maryland’s champion stallion since 2016 and is leading the way again this year with the most runners (87), winners (34), black-type winners (three) and progeny earnings ($1.62 million). — Baltimore Sun Staff, baltimoresun.com, "Great Notion well-represented on Maryland Million day at Laurel Park," 23 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'progeny.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.