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Offspring vs Descent - What's the difference?

offspring | descent |

As nouns the difference between offspring and descent

is that offspring is a person's daughter(s) and/or son(s); a person's children while descent is an instance of descending.

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

    descent

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An instance of descending
  • We climbed the mountain with difficulty, but the descent was easier.
  • * 2012 , July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track
  • The next one surrendered his bike, only for that, too, to give him a second flat as he started the descent .
  • A way down.
  • We had difficulty in finding the correct descent .
  • A sloping passage or incline.
  • The descent into the cavern was wet and slippery.
  • Lineage or hereditary derivation
  • Our guide was of Welsh descent .
  • A drop to a lower status or condition.
  • After that, the holiday went into a steep descent .

    Usage notes

    * Sometimes confused with (decent).

    Antonyms

    * (going down) ascent

    Anagrams

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