sapling
Americannoun
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a young tree.
-
a young person.
noun
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a young tree
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literary a youth
Etymology
Origin of sapling
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; sap 1, -ling 1
Explanation
A young tree with a slender trunk is known as a sapling. Just as a young duck is called a "duckling," a young tree is called a sapling. The suffix "-ling" comes from Old English and often shows up today at the end of words to mean "young" or "youngster." Brothers and sisters are called siblings. A baby goose is called a gosling. Someone who works under you is called an underling. The way to remember the meaning of sapling is that trees make "sap" — the sweet, sugary liquid that, in sugar maples, gets turned into syrup. A young tree, then, is known as a sapling. One day, it'll make sap.
Vocabulary lists containing sapling
The Secret Life of Bees
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Pax
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Early in December, an additional sapling which was given to the school closest to the Sycamore Gap, Henshaw Church of England Primary, will be planted in its grounds.
From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025
With increasing urgency, the couple scouted area ponds for suitable release sites, the trick being to find one currently unoccupied by other beavers, with abundant sapling growth as a food supply.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
Another sapling will go to The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, when it opens in memory of the former Leeds Rhino player, who died from the disease in June.
From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024
Currently, we put trees last, and if it gets in the way of cabling or pipes, we remove the tree or replace it with a sapling.
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2024
Jim and Bill Merrill, two brothers, were standing next to a sapling.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
