spawn

[spawn]

noun

plural

spawn, spawns 

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

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

3. Usually Disparaging.,  a swarming brood; numerous progeny.

   Diners at the restaurant were annoyed by the two inconsiderate parents and their unruly spawn.

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

adjective

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

   a spawn point;

   the spawn rate.

verb (used without object)

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

2. (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)

1. to produce (spawn).

2. to give birth to; give rise to.

   His sudden disappearance spawned many rumors.

   Synonyms: beget, yield, generate, engender

3. to produce in large number.

4. to plant with mycelium.

spawn

/ spɔːn /

noun

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

2. derogatory,  offspring, product, or yield

3. botany the nontechnical name for mycelium

verb

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

2. derogatory,  (of people) to produce (offspring)

3. (tr) to produce or engender

spawn

1. The eggs of water animals such as fish, amphibians, and mollusks.

2. Offspring produced in large numbers.

1. To lay eggs; produce spawn.

Other Word Forms

• spawner noun
• unspawned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spawn¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of spawn¹

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

Example Sentences

Shasta are advised to be aware of the continued risk of avalanches in higher-elevation areas days after the peak was rocked by a slide that spawned 60-foot snow walls.

From Los Angeles Times

Among the most hotly contested education-related measures, Assembly Bill 715 was spawned from dissatisfaction — largely among a coalition of Jewish groups — to the way ethnic studies is being taught in some California classrooms.

From Los Angeles Times

Some tracks had “spawned from jams” before being shelved for a while: “Some of them took two hours, some of them took two years,” he puts it plainly.

From Los Angeles Times

The trucking culture is so deep in India as well as North America, that it has spawned its own genre of Punjabi music.

From Los Angeles Times

More than any film before it, “Jaws” demonstrated how a hit movie could ripple far beyond the screen, spawning merchandise and tie-ins that helped define the modern blockbuster model.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• create 
• generate