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Synonyms

seedling

American  
[seed-ling] / ˈsid lɪŋ /

noun

  1. a plant or tree grown from a seed.

  2. a tree not yet 3 feet (1 meter) high.

  3. any young plant, especially one grown in a nursery for transplanting.


seedling British  
/ ˈsiːdlɪŋ /

noun

  1. a very young plant produced from a seed

"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

seedling Scientific  
/ sēdlĭng /
  1. A young plant, especially one that grows from a seed rather than from a cutting.

  2. See Note at germination


Etymology

Origin of seedling

First recorded in 1650–60; seed + -ling 1

Vocabulary lists containing seedling

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