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v. sprout·ed, sprout·ing, sprouts v.intr. 1. To begin to grow; give off shoots or buds. 2. To emerge and develop rapidly: businesses that sprouted along the highway. v.tr. To allow or cause to come forth and grow: He sprouted a mustache. n. 1. Young plant growth, such as a bud or shoot. 2. Something resembling or suggestive of a sprout, as in rapid growth: "a tall blond sprout of a boy" (Anne Tyler). 3. sprouts a. The young shoots of plants such as alfalfa and soybean, usually eaten raw. b. Brussels sprouts. [Middle English spruten, from Old English -sprūtan (in āsprūtan, to sprout forth); see sper- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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