sprout
pronunciation
How to pronounce sprout in British English:
UK [spraʊt]
How to pronounce sprout in American English:
US [spraʊt]
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- Noun:
- any new growth of a plant such as a new branch or a bud
- a newly grown bud (especially from a germinating seed)
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- Verb:
- produce buds, branches, or germinate
- put forth and grow sprouts or shoots
Word Origin
- sprout (v.)
- Old English -sprutan (in asprutan "to sprout"), from Proto-Germanic *sprut- (cognates: Old Saxon sprutan, Old Frisian spruta, Middle Dutch spruten, Old High German spriozan, German sprießen "to sprout"), from PIE *spreud-, extended form of root *sper- (4) "to strew" (cognates: Greek speirein "to scatter," spora "a scattering, sowing," sperma "sperm, seed," literally "that which is scattered;" Old English spreawlian "to sprawl," sprædan "to spread," spreot "pole;" Armenian sprem "scatter;" Old Lithuanian sprainas "staring, opening wide one's eyes;" Lettish spriežu "I span, I measure"). Related: Sprouted; sprouting.
- sprout (n.)
- "shoot of a plant, sprout; a twig," Old English sprota, from the verb (see sprout (v.)). Cognate with Middle Dutch spruyte, Dutch spruite "a sprout," Old Norse sproti, German Sproß.