sapling
Americannoun
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saplings
plural
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a young tree.
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a young person.
noun
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a young tree
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literary a youth
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sapling
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at 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.
See Examples For:
Tyler and Cora steady a western redbud sapling as Atticus holds up a bag of soil and Eliza shovels out the fragrant earth.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
The very first sapling grown from the Sycamore Gap tree was gifted to His Majesty The King last summer and this will be planted for the nation at a later date, the National Trust said.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025
Martina Irwin, a co-founder of the Tree Sanctuary in Coventry, said planting its sapling would be really special.
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
Someone handed Moch a sapling oak tree in a pot.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
From Sycamore Gap saplings to 'trees of hope'
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
During the Bounty’s infamous mutiny, Tahitian breadfruit saplings filled its hold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Over-population of deer means they graze on young plants and tree saplings before they ever have a chance to reach maturity.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
We quickly walked into a bed of knee-high sequoias saplings so thick I couldn’t estimate their number.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
There, he chose twelve long straight saplings, each the thickness of his arm.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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.
