sprout

1. 1

   A new growth of or on a plant, whether from seed or other parts.

2. 2

   A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.

   • Near-synonyms: seedling, chit
3. 3

   A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.; An edible variety of such, grown and intended as food; examples include bean, alfalfa, kale, and others.

4. 4

   A germinated seed, an incipient young plant.; An edible variety of such, grown and intended as food; examples include bean, alfalfa, kale, and others.

5. 5

   A child.figurativelyinformal

   • Oh my, how your sprouts have grown!
6. 6

   A Brussels sprout.

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

1. 1

   To grow from seed; to germinate.intransitive

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

   To cause to grow from a seed.transitive

   • I sprouted beans and radishes and put them in my salad.
3. 3

   To deprive of sprouts.transitive

   • to sprout potatoes
4. 4

   To emerge from the ground as sprouts.intransitive

5. 5

   To emerge haphazardly from a surface.figurativelyintransitive

   • Whiskers sprouted from the old man's chin.
6. 6

   To emerge or appear haphazardly.figurativelyintransitive

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

syn. ackerspyre