transplant

American  

[trans-plant, -plahnt, trans-plant, -plahnt] / trænsˈplænt, -ˈplɑnt, ˈtrænsˌplænt, -ˌplɑnt /

verb (used with object)

transplants, present (3rd person singular) transplanted, past participle, past transplanting present participle

1. to remove (a plant) from one place and plant it in another.

2. Surgery. to transfer (an organ, tissue, etc.) from one part of the body to another or from one person or animal to another.

3. to move from one place to another.

4. to bring (a family, colony, etc.) from one country, region, etc., to another for settlement; relocate.

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verb (used without object)

transplants, present (3rd person singular) transplanted, past participle, past transplanting present participle

1. to undergo or accept transplanting.

   to transplant easily.

noun

transplants plural

1. the act or process of transplanting.

2. a plant, organ, person, etc., that has been transplanted.

transplant British  

verb

1. (tr) to remove or transfer (esp a plant) from one place to another

2. (intr) to be capable of being transplanted

3. surgery to transfer (an organ or tissue) from one part of the body to another or from one person or animal to another during a grafting or transplant operation

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noun

1. surgery

   1. the procedure involved in such a transfer

   2. the organ or tissue transplanted

transplant Scientific  

/ trăns′plănt′ /

1. A plant that has been uprooted and replanted.

2. A surgical procedure in a human or animal in which a body tissue or organ is transferred from a donor to a recipient or from one part of the body to another. Heart, lung, liver, kidney, corneal, and bone-marrow transplants are performed to treat life-threatening illness. Donated tissue must be histocompatible with that of the recipient to prevent immunological rejection.

3. See also graft

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retransplantation
  noun
• transplantation
  noun
• transplanter
  noun
• transplantable
  adjective
• untransplanted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• transplants
  plural

Participles

• transplanting
  present
• transplanted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• transplant
  simple
• transplants
  simple
• have transplanted
  perfect
• has transplanted
  perfect
• am transplanting
  progressive
• are transplanting
  progressive
• is transplanting
  progressive
• have been transplanting
  perfect progressive
• has been transplanting
  perfect progressive

Past

• transplanted
  simple
• had transplanted
  perfect
• was transplanting
  progressive
• were transplanting
  progressive
• had been transplanting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will transplant
  simple
• will have transplanted
  perfect
• will be transplanting
  progressive
• will have been transplanting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of transplant

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin trānsplantāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + plantāre to plant

Explanation

Use the verb transplant to describe what you do when you move a cactus into a bigger container, or what a doctor does when she places a donor organ — like a kidney or lung — into the body of a patient. When you transplant your favorite rose bush, you carefully dig it up and re-plant it in another spot in the yard, maybe one that gets more sunlight. You can also use the word as a noun to describe the act of doing such a thing: "The liver transplant was a success." The word's origin is simple: the Latin trans, or "across," plus plantare, which means "to plant."

Example Sentences

The findings are also being presented at the American Transplant Congress, the annual meeting jointly organized by the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

From Science Daily • Jul. 1, 2026

According to NHS Blood and Transplant, donor hearts in the UK are allocated based on urgency, blood type, donor–recipient compatibility, geography and waiting time.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Bell and Powell showed their gratitude to Smith, who also founded the charity Womb Transplant UK, by giving their son a middle name of Richard.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026

Dr. Matthew Stone, surgical director of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Program, and congenital heart surgeon Dr. Emily Downs led the nine-hour procedure.

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2025

Transplant those sown last month, into the second hotbed.

From The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, Adapted to the Use of Private Families by Eaton, Mary, fl. 1823-1849

Related Words

• emigrate
• graft
• immigrate
• remove
• uproot