seedling

[seed-ling]

noun

1. a plant or tree grown from a seed.

2. a tree not yet 3 feet (1 meter) high.

3. any young plant, especially one grown in a nursery for transplanting.

seedling

/ ˈsiːdlɪŋ /

noun

1. a very young plant produced from a seed

seedling

1. A young plant, especially one that grows from a seed rather than from a cutting.

2. See Note at germination

Word History and Origins

Origin of seedling¹

First recorded in 1650–60; seed + -ling ¹

Example Sentences

He says: "We repeatedly found seedlings and adults with juvenile root structures near decaying logs, not scattered randomly in the forest. That recurring pattern inspired us to test whether deadwood fungi fuel orchid beginnings."

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The Japanese concept of kō, or micro-seasons, reads like a fieldworker’s prayer: fish emerge from ice; farmers drain fields; last frost, rice seedlings grow.

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If you plant squash in the summer, you know what a bounty only a couple of seedlings yields.

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The perfectly pruned roses are just beginning to leaf out and the plants in the vegetable garden are seedlings.

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After the heavy rains that winter, she was delighted to find them sprouting in the spring, fighting through the weeds along with buckwheat seedlings.

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Related Words

• flower 
• grass 
• herb 
• shrub 
• tree 
• vine 
• weed