sprout: Meaning and Definition of

sprout

Pronunciation: (sprout), [key]
— v.i.
  1. to begin to grow; shoot forth, as a plant from a seed.
  2. (of a seed or plant) to put forth buds or shoots.
  3. to develop or grow quickly: a boy awkwardly sprouting into manhood.
—v.t.
  1. to cause to sprout.
  2. to remove sprouts from: Sprout and boil the potatoes.
—n.
  1. a shoot of a plant.
  2. a new growth from a germinating seed, or from a rootstock, tuber, bud, or the like.
  3. something resembling or suggesting a sprout, as in growth.
  4. a young person; youth.
    1. the young shoots of alfalfa, soybeans, etc., eaten as a raw vegetable.
    2. SeeBrussels sprout.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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