Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Sprout

//spɹaʊt// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
Noun
  1. 1
    A new growth of or on a plant, whether from seed or other parts.
  2. 2
    a newly grown bud (especially from a germinating seed) wordnet
  3. 3
    A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.

    "Near-synonyms: seedling, chit"

  4. 4
    any new growth of a plant such as a new branch or a bud wordnet
  5. 5
    A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.; An edible variety of such, grown and intended as food; examples include bean, alfalfa, kale, and others.
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.; An edible variety of such, grown and intended as food; examples include bean, alfalfa, kale, and others.; A bean sprout.
  2. 7
    A child. figuratively

    "Oh my, how your sprouts have grown!"

  3. 8
    A Brussels sprout.

    "In our family we only eat sprouts once a year, at Christmas."

Verb
  1. 1
    To grow from seed; to germinate. intransitive

    "The crocuses should be sprouting after 2 months, provided they're well tended."

  2. 2
    put forth and grow sprouts or shoots wordnet
  3. 3
    To cause to grow from a seed. transitive

    "I sprouted beans and radishes and put them in my salad."

  4. 4
    produce buds, branches, or germinate wordnet
  5. 5
    To deprive of sprouts. transitive

    "to sprout potatoes"

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    To emerge from the ground as sprouts. intransitive
  2. 7
    To emerge haphazardly from a surface. figuratively, intransitive

    "Whiskers sprouted from the old man's chin."

  3. 8
    To emerge or appear haphazardly. figuratively, intransitive

    "A lot of coffee shops have sprouted up in this neighbourhood since the block of flats was put up."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English sproute, either from Middle English sprouten (“to sprout”) (see below); or from Middle Dutch sprute or Middle Low German sprûte (“sprout”), all related to Proto-West Germanic *spreutan. Doublet of spruit.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sprouten, spruten, from Old English sprūtan, from Proto-West Germanic *spreutan, from Proto-Germanic *spreutaną.

Etymology 3

* As a Dutch surname, from spruit (“sprout, shoot”) * As an English and Scottish surname, spelling variant of Sprott

See also for "sprout"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: sprout