spawn

[spawn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spawn ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural spawn, spawns.

Zoology. the mass of eggs deposited by fishes, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.

Mycology. the mycelium of mushrooms, especially of the species grown for the market.

Usually Disparaging. a swarming brood; numerous progeny:Diners at the restaurant were annoyed by the two inconsiderate parents and their unruly spawn.

any person or thing regarded as the offspring of some stock, idea, etc.

adjective

of or relating to the spawning of a character or item in a video game:a spawn point;the spawn rate.

verb (used without object)

to deposit eggs or sperm directly into the water, as fishes.

(of a character or item in a video game) to originate at a fixed point in an existing game environment:An enemy character just spawned right on top of me!

verb (used with object)

to produce (spawn).

to give birth to; give rise to: His sudden disappearance spawned many rumors.

to produce in large number.

to plant with mycelium.

Origin of spawn

1350–1400; Middle English spawnen (v.), probably < Anglo-French espaundre (Old French espandre) to expand

Related formsspawn·er, nounun·spawned, adjective

Synonyms for spawn

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spawn ON THESAURUS.COM

9. engender, generate, yield, beget.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spawn

Contemporary Examples of spawn

Well known for his gimmicks, Daylyt entered the stage in a Spawn costume that could stop traffic at Comic Con.
America’s Poets: Battle Rap Gets Real
Rich Goldstein
July 15, 2014
That is not to say that the focus on Cohle and Hart does not spawn two compelling performances.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’
Jimmy So
March 14, 2014
Replaying sections will spawn enemies in the same place, but what happens then changes from time to time.
‘Killzone: Shadow Fall’ Review: Oh My God, This PlayStation 4 Game Is Beautiful
Alec Kubas-Meyer
November 19, 2013
After surprising box office success, The Terminator would go on to spawn three sequels.
The Week in Nostalgia: ‘Halloween’ Turns 35, Butch and Sundance Debut, and the iPod is Born (VIDEO)
Chancellor Agard
October 26, 2013
This idea is really the spawn of Mark Levin, the wingnut radio host, who has (of course) written a book about it.
Mark Levin's Nutty Constitutional Convention Idea
Michael Tomasky
August 29, 2013

Historical Examples of spawn

Why shrink from us, then, as though we were the spawn of the Evil One?
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
But oh, that a nation which has known a Corneille should ever spawn forth a ——-!
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Any theory accounting for the presence of spawn is, therefore, out of the question.
Life: Its True Genesis
R. W. Wright
The first story of his that I read was "Spawn of the Stars."
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
Spawn, why didn't you tell me you were a producer of quicksilver?
Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930
Various

British Dictionary definitions for spawn

spawn

noun

the mass of eggs deposited by fish, amphibians, or molluscs

often derogatory offspring, product, or yield

botany the nontechnical name for mycelium

verb

(of fish, amphibians, etc) to produce or deposit (eggs)

often derogatory (of people) to produce (offspring)

(tr) to produce or engender

Derived Formsspawner, noun

Word Origin for spawn

C14: from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French spandre to spread out, expand

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 spawn

early 15c., from Anglo-French espaundre, Old French espandre "to spread out, pour out," from Latin expandere (see expand). The notion is of a "spreading out" of fish eggs released in water. The meaning "to engender, give rise to" is attested from 1590s. Related: Spawned; spawning.

early 15c., from spawn (v.); figurative sense of "brood, offspring" is from 1580s.

Science definitions for spawn