bud

¹ American  

[buhd] / bʌd /

noun

1. Botany.

   1. a small axillary or terminal protuberance on a plant, containing rudimentary foliage leaf bud, the rudimentary inflorescence flower bud, or both mixed bud.

   2. an undeveloped or rudimentary stem or branch of a plant.

2. Zoology.  (in certain animals of low organization) a prominence that develops into a new individual, sometimes permanently attached to the parent and sometimes becoming detached; gemmule.

3. Mycology.  a small, rounded outgrowth produced from a fungus spore or cell by a process of asexual reproduction, eventually separating from the parent cell as a new individual: commonly produced by most yeast and a few other fungi.

4. Anatomy.  any small rounded part.

5. an immature or undeveloped person or thing.

6. Slang.  marijuana, especially potent marijuana from the buds, or flowering tops, of the hemp plant.

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verb (used without object)

budded, budding

1. to put forth or produce buds.

2. to begin to develop.

3. to be in an early stage of development.

verb (used with object)

budded, budding

1. to cause to bud.

2. Horticulture.  to graft by inserting a single bud into the stock.

idioms

1. in the bud,  in an immature or undeveloped state: Also in bud.

   a Shakespeare in the bud.

2. nip in the bud,  to stop (something) in the beginning of its development.

   The rebellion was nipped in the bud.

bud ² American  

[buhd] / bʌd /

noun

1. brother; buddy (used in informal address, as to one's brother or to a man or boy whose name is not known to the speaker).

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Bud ³ American  

[buhd] / bʌd /

Or Budd

noun

1. a male given name.

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bud ¹ British  

/ bʌd /

noun

1. a swelling on a plant stem consisting of overlapping immature leaves or petals

2. 1. a partially opened flower

   2. ( in combination )

      rosebud

3. any small budlike outgrowth

   taste buds

4. something small or immature

5. an asexually produced outgrowth in simple organisms, such as yeasts, and the hydra that develops into a new individual

6. a slang word for marijuana

7. at the stage of producing buds

8. to put an end to (an idea, movement, etc) in its initial stages

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verb

1. (intr) (of plants and some animals) to produce buds

2. (intr) to begin to develop or grow

3. (tr) horticulture to graft (a bud) from one plant onto another, usually by insertion under the bark

bud ² British  

/ bʌd /

noun

1. informal  short for buddy

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bud Scientific  

/ bŭd /

1. A small swelling on a branch or stem, containing an undeveloped shoot, leaf, or flower. Some species have mixed buds containing two of these structures, or even all three.

2. ◆ Terminal buds occur at the end of a stem, twig, or branch.

3. ◆ Axillary buds, also known as lateral buds, occur in the axils of leaves (in the upper angle of where the leaf grows from the stem).

4. ◆ Accessory buds often occur clustered around terminal buds or above and on either side of axillary buds. Accessory buds are usually smaller than terminal and axillary buds.

5. A small rounded outgrowth on an asexually reproducing organism, such as a yeast or hydra, that is capable of developing into a new individual.

6. See more at budding

7. A tiny part or structure, such as a taste bud, that is shaped like a plant bud.

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1. To form or produce a bud or buds.

bud More Idioms  

1. see nip in the bud.

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Other Word Forms

• budder noun
• budless adjective
• budlike adjective
• nonbudding adjective

Etymology

Origin of bud¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English budde, bodde “bud, spray, pod”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Middle Dutch botte “bud,” or Old French bout “tip, end”

Origin of bud¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; back formation from buddy

Example Sentences

The budding friendship will be tested by a high-stakes heist, carried out during the city's centennial gala by a snake, a species long banned from the city.

From Barron's

From our experience, the improved buds can block the sound of rowdy restaurants, rumbling buses—and attention-seeking spouses and children.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cannabis "flower" - or buds - have hardly ever been prescribed on the NHS since the law changed to allow it for medicinal reasons in 2018, but there is a growing private industry.

From BBC

Five or six spring-times, welcomed joyously, lovingly watched from the first celandine to the budding of the rose; who shall dare to call it a stinted boon?

From The Wall Street Journal

Some nine years down the line, fresh blood is needed, so “Now You Don’t” plays like “Now You See Me: The New Class,” introducing a trio of budding magicians who take inspiration from the Horsemen.

From Los Angeles Times