sprout
Plural: sprouts
Noun
- any new growth of a plant such as a new branch or a bud
- a newly grown bud (especially from a germinating seed)
- A new growth of or on a plant, whether from seed or other parts.
- A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.
- 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 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.
- A child.
- A Brussels sprout.
Verb
Verb Forms: sprouted, sprouting, sprouts
- To begin to grow; to emerge or bud.
- produce buds, branches, or germinate
- "the potatoes sprouted"
- put forth and grow sprouts or shoots
- "the plant sprouted early this year"
- To grow from seed; to germinate.
- To cause to grow from a seed.
- To deprive of sprouts.
- To emerge from the ground as sprouts.
- To emerge haphazardly from a surface.
- To emerge or appear haphazardly.
Examples
- A lot of coffee shops have sprouted up in this neighbourhood since the block of flats was put up.
- A new high-scoring word seemed to sprout from his tiles, surprising everyone.
- I sprouted beans and radishes and put them in my salad.
- In our family we only eat sprouts once a year, at Christmas.
- Oh my, how your sprouts have grown!
- The crocuses should be sprouting after 2 months, provided they're well tended.
- to sprout potatoes
- Whiskers sprouted from the old man's chin.
Origin / Etymology
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.
Scrabble Score: 8
sprout: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordsprout: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
sprout: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 10
sprout: valid Words With Friends Word