Progeny means offspring or descendants. When scientists study how traits pass from parents to children, they examine the progeny: the next generation that inherits characteristics from those who came before.

The word often appears in formal or scientific contexts. A biologist tracking how a rare orchid spreads might count its progeny to see how many new plants grew from seeds. A dog breeder carefully studies the progeny of champion dogs to understand which puppies inherited the best traits. In history books, you might read about a king's progeny, meaning his children and their children, stretching across generations.

While you could say “the cat's progeny” instead of “the cat's kittens,” progeny sounds more scientific or literary. It's the kind of word you'd encounter in a nature documentary about wolves raising their progeny or in a novel describing a family's progeny inheriting an old estate.

Unlike casual words like “kids” or “offspring,” progeny carries weight. It emphasizes the biological connection and continuation from one generation to the next.