Sprouting

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Sprout \Sprout\ (sprout), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Sprouted}; p. pr.
     & vb. n. {Sprouting}.] [OE. sprouten, spruten; akin to
     OFries. spr[=u]ta, AS. spre['o]tan, D. spruiten, G.
     spriessen, Sw. spruta to squirt, to spout. Cf. {Sprit}, v. t.
     & i., {Sprit} a spar, {Spout}, v. t., {Spurt}.]
     1. To shoot, as the seed of a plant; to germinate; to push


        out new shoots; hence, to grow like shoots of plants.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To shoot into ramifications. [Obs.] --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  sprouting
       n : the process whereby seeds or spores sprout and begin to grow
           [syn: {germination}]