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bud1

[buhd]
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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; gemma.
  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 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), bud·ded, bud·ding.
  1. to put forth or produce buds.
  2. to begin to develop.
  3. to be in an early stage of development.
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verb (used with object), bud·ded, bud·ding.
  1. to cause to bud.
  2. Horticulture. to graft by inserting a single bud into the stock.
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Idioms
  1. in the bud, in an immature or undeveloped state: a Shakespeare in the bud.Also in bud.
  2. nip in the bud, to stop (something) in the beginning of its development: The rebellion was nipped in the bud.
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Origin of bud1

1350–1400; Middle English budde bud, spray, pod; akin to German Hagebutte hip, Old Norse budda purse, dialectal Swedish bodd head, Dutch buidel bag, purse, Middle Low German buddich swollen
Related formsbud·der, nounbud·less, adjectivebud·like, adjectivenon·bud·ding, adjective, noun
Can be confusedbudder butter

bud2

[buhd]
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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Origin of bud2

1850–55, Americanism; back formation from buddy

Bud

or Budd

[buhd]
noun
  1. a male given name.
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Abbott

[ab-uh t]
noun
  1. Berenice,1898–1991, U.S. photographer.
  2. Edith,1876–1957, and her sister Grace, 1878–1939, U.S. social reformers.
  3. Ed·ville Ger·hardt [ed-vil gair-hahrt] /ˈɛd vɪl ˈgɛər hɑrt/, 1871–1938, U.S. orthopedist.
  4. George,1887–1995, U.S. playwright, director, and producer.
  5. Jacob,1803–79, and his son, Lyman, 1835–1922, U.S. clergymen and writers.
  6. Sir John Joseph Caldwell,1821–93, Canadian political leader: prime minister 1891–92.
  7. Robert Seng·stake [seng-stak] /ˈsɛŋ stæk/, 1868–1940, U.S. newspaper publisher.
  8. WilliamBud, 1898–1974, U.S. actor, producer, and comedian, best known as the straight man of Abbott and Costello.
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Powell

[pou-uh l; for 2, 3 also poh-uh l]
noun
  1. Adam Clayton, Jr.,1908–72, U.S. clergyman, politician, and civil-rights leader: congressman 1945–67, 1969–71.
  2. Anthony,1905–2000, English author.
  3. Cecil Frank,1903–69, English physicist: Nobel prize 1950.
  4. Co·lin [koh-lin, kol-in] /ˈkoʊ lɪn, ˈkɒl ɪn/, born 1937, U.S. general: chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff 1989–96; secretary of state 2001–05.
  5. EarlBud, 1924–66, U.S. jazz pianist and composer.
  6. John Wesley,1834–1902, U.S. geologist and ethnologist.
  7. Lewis Franklin, Jr.,1907–1998, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1972–87.
  8. Lake, an artificial reservoir on the border of SE Utah and NE Arizona, on the Colorado River, formed by the construction of a dam (Glen Canyon Dam) (completed 1964). 186 miles (300 km) long.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

shootembryoblossomgermnucleusfloretsparkbloomburgeondevelopgrowpullulate

Examples from the Web for bud

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • We never see Him bring the bud to the eve of blossoming just to wither it.

  • But this year, at the first bud, her heart seemed to beat more quickly.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • Cartwright, in his most impressive manner, stepped a foot closer to Bud's chair.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • It was evident that Bud had no objection to this nor to anything else, for that matter.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • But he added, softly: "Sleep on it, bud; I'll let ye change your mind in the mornin'."

British Dictionary definitions for bud

bud1

noun
  1. a swelling on a plant stem consisting of overlapping immature leaves or petals
    1. a partially opened flower
    2. (in combination)rosebud
  3. any small budlike outgrowthtaste 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. in bud at the stage of producing buds
  8. nip in the bud to put an end to (an idea, movement, etc) in its initial stages
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verb buds, budding or budded
  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
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Word Origin

C14 budde, of Germanic origin; compare Icelandic budda purse, Dutch buidel

bud2

noun
  1. informal, mainly US short for buddy
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Powell

noun
  1. (ˈpəʊəl) Anthony (Dymoke ˈdɪmək). 1905–2000, British novelist, best known for his sequence of novels under the general title A Dance to the Music of Time (1951–75)
  2. Cecil Frank. 1903–69, British physicist, who was awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 1950 for his discovery of the pi-meson
  3. Colin (Luther) (ˈcəʊlɪn). born 1937, US politician and general; Republican secretary of state (2001–05)
  4. Earl, known as Bud Powell. 1924–1966, US modern-jazz pianist
  5. (John) Enoch. 1912–98, British politician. An outspoken opponent of Commonwealth immigration into Britain and of British membership of the Common Market (now the European Union), in 1974 he resigned from the Conservative Party, returning to Parliament as a United Ulster Unionist Council member (1974–87)
  6. Michael. 1905–90, British film writer, producer, and director, best known for his collaboration (1942–57) with Emeric Pressburger. Films include The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Red Shoes (1948), and Peeping Tom (1960)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bud

n.

late 14c., budde, origin unknown, perhaps from Old French boter "push forward, thrust," itself a Germanic word (cf. Dutch bot "bud," Old Saxon budil "bag, purse," German Beutel), or perhaps from Old English budd "beetle."

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v.

c.1400; see bud (n.). Related: Budded; budding.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
bud in Medicine

bud

(bŭd)
n.
  1. A small, rounded anatomical structure or organic part, such as a taste bud.
  2. An asexual reproductive structure, as in yeast or a hydra, that consists of an outgrowth capable of developing into a new individual.
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v.
  1. To put forth or cause to put forth buds.
  2. To reproduce asexually by forming a bud.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
bud in Science

bud

[bŭd]
Noun
  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.♦ Terminal buds occur at the end of a stem, twig, or branch.♦ 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).♦ 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.
  2. A small rounded outgrowth on an asexually reproducing organism, such as a yeast or hydra, that is capable of developing into a new individual. See more at budding.
  3. A tiny part or structure, such as a taste bud, that is shaped like a plant bud.
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Verb
  1. To form or produce a bud or buds.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with bud

bud

see nip in the bud.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.