bud

[ buhd ]

/ bʌd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bud ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Botany.

a small axillary or terminal protuberance on a plant, containing rudimentary foliage (leaf bud), the rudimentary inflorescence (flower bud), or both (mixed bud).
an undeveloped or rudimentary stem or branch of a plant.

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.

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.

Anatomy. any small rounded part.

an immature or undeveloped person or thing.

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

verb (used without object), bud·ded, bud·ding.

to put forth or produce buds.

to begin to develop.

to be in an early stage of development.

verb (used with object), bud·ded, bud·ding.

to cause to bud.

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

Nearby words

bucolics, bucovina, bucranium, bucureşti, bucyrus, bud, bud fission, bud mutation, bud scale, bud sport, bud stick

Idioms

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

nip in the bud, to stop (something) in the beginning of its development: The rebellion was nipped in the bud.

Origin of bud

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 forms

bud·der, nounbud·less, adjectivebud·like, adjectivenon·bud·ding, adjective, noun

Can be confused

budder butter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for budding

Anova Precision Cooker is the perfect little sous-vide gadget for the budding gastronomist.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Richard Hendriks in Your Life|Allison McNearney|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The best that can be said for these budding radicals is that at least they sincerely hate the thing they so viciously attack.
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His maquettes, or models, illustrate this, too, in their budding materiality.
Frank Gehry Is Architecture’s Mad Genius|Sarah Moroz|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The children teased my parents about their budding romance and my parents, in turn, fell in love with their tiny wards.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She got involved in interning as a way to jumpstart her budding modeling career.
Does Fashion Week Exploit Teen Models?|Jennifer Sky|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had brought my "Malmaison" and "Sultan of Morocco" roses with me, and also my budding-knife and the sap for budding.
Dr. Dumany's Wife|Mr Jkai
Now the snow and ice were gone, and the tawny hue of the prairie was tinged with that perfect emerald of budding spring.
The Watchers of the Plains|Ridgewell Cullum
When the boy begins to think of a girl, instead of girls, he displays the first budding signs of a real growing manhood.
The Uncalled|Paul Laurence Dunbar
The "time of the end" was at hand, of the approach of which the budding of the fig-tree was to be the sign.
The Story of Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland and of the new Gospel of Interpretation|Edward Maitland
In some forms (Cœnurus, Echinococcus) reproduction by budding takes place at this stage.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for budding (1 of 3)

budding

/ (ˈbʌdɪŋ) /

adjective

at an early stage of development but showing promise or potentiala budding genius

British Dictionary definitions for budding (2 of 3)

bud

/ (bʌd) /

noun

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

a partially opened flower
(in combination)rosebud

any small budlike outgrowthtaste buds

something small or immature

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

a slang word for marijuana

in bud at the stage of producing buds

nip in the bud to put an end to (an idea, movement, etc) in its initial stages

verb buds, budding or budded

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

(intr) to begin to develop or grow

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

Word Origin for bud

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

British Dictionary definitions for budding (3 of 3)

bud

/ (bʌd) /

noun

informal, mainly US short for buddy

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

Medicine definitions for budding (1 of 2)

budding

[ bŭd′ĭng ]

n.

gemmation

Medicine definitions for budding (2 of 2)

bud

[ bŭd ]

n.

A small, rounded anatomical structure or organic part, such as a taste bud.

An asexual reproductive structure, as in yeast or a hydra, that consists of an outgrowth capable of developing into a new individual.

v.

To put forth or cause to put forth buds.

To reproduce asexually by forming a bud.

Science definitions for budding (1 of 2)

budding

[ bŭd′ĭng ]

A form of asexual reproduction in living organisms in which new individuals form from outgrowths (buds) on the bodies of mature organisms. These outgrowths grow by means of mitotic cell division. Many simple multicellular animals such as hydras and unicellular organisms such as yeasts reproduce by budding.

Science definitions for budding (2 of 2)

bud

[ bŭd ]

Noun

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.

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.

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

Verb

To form or produce a bud or buds.

Idioms and Phrases with budding

bud

see nip in the bud.