Progeny is the progeny of the Latin verb prōgignere, 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 can mean "an ancestor in the direct line," "a biologically ancestral form," or "a precursor or originator."
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 WebNeither King Charles III nor his progeny, who are far less popular and far more scandal-ridden, will ever be able to pull that off. Brigid Kennedy, The Week, 14 Sep. 2022 Still, presented with boundless possibilities, this opening salvo serves as an uninspired addition to a franchise whose progeny -- both too often and somewhat ironically -- have just seemed to mindlessly follow the crowd. Brian Lowry, CNN, 14 Aug. 2022 Although Frankfurter fancied himself the ultimate democrat, many scholars have persuasively argued that Baker v. Carr and its progeny can be understood as buttressing our democratic order. Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022 That’s an increasingly significant tactic of the climate movement, popularized in recent years by the Green New Deal and its many state and municipal progeny. Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 29 July 2022 Under that landmark precedent and its progeny, public figures face steep hurdles in suing media outlets that report unfavorable things about them. Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 7 July 2022 Gilbert sees some hope, and most of all in the aforementioned Korda, the 6-foot-5-inch progeny of Petr Korda (former world No. 2) and Regina Rajchrtrova. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 3 June 2022 Gun Runner, who finished third in the 2016 Kentucky Derby before embarking on an outstanding career as an older horse, has three progeny in this year’s field — Cyberknife, Taiba and Early Voting. Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 18 Apr. 2022 Most projects are cloaked in secrecy, but acknowledged progeny include the Saleen S7 and the road-legal Aston Martin Vulcan. Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English progenie, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin prōgeniēs, from prōgen-, variant stem of prōgignere "to produce as offspring, bring into being" + -iēs, deverbal and denominal noun suffix — more at progenitor