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Heir vs Offspring - What's the difference?

heir | offspring |

As nouns the difference between heir and offspring

is that heir is someone who inherits, or is designated to inherit, the property of another while offspring is a person's daughter(s) and/or son(s); a person's children.

heir

English

Noun

(en noun) (Inheritance)
  • Someone who inherits, or is designated to inherit, the property of another.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • *:I am my father's heir and only son.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1
  • , passage=And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott […]: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spangle for his heir .}}
  • One who inherits, or has been designated to inherit, a hereditary title or office.
  • A successor in a role, representing continuity with the predecessor.
  • *(Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)
  • *:And I his heir in misery alone.
  • *
  • *:"I wish we were back in Tenth Street. But so many children came"
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-05-11, volume=407, issue=8835, page=12, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= What a waste , passage=India is run by gerontocrats and epigones: grey hairs and groomed heirs .}}

    offspring

    English

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • A person's daughter(s) and/or son(s); a person's children.
  • All a person's descendants, including further generations.
  • An animal or plant's progeny, an animal or plant's young.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Katrina G. Claw
  • , title= Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.}}
  • (figuratively) Another produce, result of an entity's efforts.
  • (computing) A process launched by another process.
  • Usage notes

    * The form offsprings is also used for the plural, especially the computing sense.

    Synonyms

    * baby/babies, child/children, issue (plural only), get * (all descendants) descendants, lineage, progeny, get, binary clone

    Antonyms

    * genitor (rare), parent, progenitor, father (male), mother (female) * (descendants) ancestors, forbears/forebears, forefathers

    Derived terms

    * donor offspring * parent-offspring conflict