Dictionary.com
definitions

burgeon

or bour·geon

[bur-juhn]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burgeon ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to grow or develop quickly; flourish: The town burgeoned into a city. He burgeoned into a fine actor.
to begin to grow, as a bud; put forth buds, shoots, etc., as a plant (often followed by out, forth).

verb (used with object)

to put forth, as buds.

noun

a bud; sprout.

Origin of burgeon

1275–1325; (noun) Middle English burjon, burion shoot, bud < Anglo-French burjun, burg(e)on; Old French burjon < Vulgar Latin *burriōne(m), accusative of *burriō, derivative of Late Latin burra wool, fluff (cf. bourrée, bureau), presumably from the down covering certain buds; (v.) Middle English burg(e)onen, borgen < Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of the noun

Synonyms for burgeon

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR burgeon ON THESAURUS.COM
1. bloom, blossom, mushroom, expand.

Usage note

The two senses of burgeon, “to bud” ( The maples are burgeoning ) and “to grow or flourish” ( The suburbs around the city have been burgeoning under the impact of commercial growth ), date from the 14th century. Today the sense “to grow or flourish” is the more common. Occasionally, objections are raised to the use of this sense, perhaps because of its popularity in journalistic writing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for burgeoning

sprout, prosper, snowball, flower, bud, mushroom, blossom, increase, thrive, grow, expand

Examples from the Web for burgeoning

Contemporary Examples of burgeoning

Historical Examples of burgeoning

  • There was a burgeoning within him of strange feelings and unwonted impulses.

    White Fang

    Jack London

  • He is also a blooming, blossoming, burgeoning Ass, and he doesn't know it.

    The Merryweathers

    Laura E. Richards

  • Something inside him was changing, burgeoning in strange and disturbing growth.

    Pet Farm

    Roger Dee

  • Other factors served to enhance the burgeoning dairy industry.

    Frying Pan Farm

    Elizabeth Brown Pryor

  • She was overcome with shame and with the mystery of her own burgeoning womanhood.

    Martin Eden

    Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for burgeoning

burgeon

bourgeon

verb

(often foll by forth or out) (of a plant) to sprout (buds)
(intr ; often foll by forth or out) to develop or grow rapidly; flourish

noun

a bud of a plant

Word Origin for burgeon

C13: from Old French burjon, perhaps ultimately from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth; from the downiness of certain buds
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 burgeoning

burgeon

v.

early 14c., "grow, sprout, blossom," from Anglo-French burjuner, Old French borjoner "to bud, sprout," from borjon "a bud, shoot, pimple" (Modern French bourgeon), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *burrionem (nominative *burrio), from Late Latin burra "flock of wool," itself of uncertain origin. Some sources (Kitchin, Gamillscheg) say either the French word or the Vulgar Latin one is from Germanic. The English verb is perhaps instead a native development from burjoin (n.) "a bud" (c.1300), from Old French. Related: Burgeoned; burgeoning.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper