seedling
Americannoun
-
a plant or tree grown from a seed.
-
a tree not yet 3 feet (1 meter) high.
-
any young plant, especially one grown in a nursery for transplanting.
noun
-
A young plant, especially one that grows from a seed rather than from a cutting.
-
See Note at germination
Etymology
Origin of seedling
Vocabulary lists containing seedling
Plants (Botany) - Introduction
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Plants (Botany) - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Plants (Botany) - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"It was only then that we were able to see that PEX11 is clearly involved in controlling the growth of the peroxisome during the seed to seedling stage."
From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026
During apple season, neighbors drop barrels of seedling apples on the lawn for Kaiser’s experiments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
Still, if cooler conditions are supporting better seedling survival, those Joshua tree populations may still end up being healthier than those in places farther south, where flowering is increasing, Yoder said.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2024
The first seedling will be looked after by horticulturalists until it is ready for planting.
From BBC • May 27, 2024
With each tender seedling that unfurled its small green leaf to my eager gaze, my excitement would rise and mount; winged, wondrous.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
![]()
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.