seedling

noun

seed·​ling ˈsēd-liŋ How to pronounce seedling (audio)
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
a
: a young tree before it becomes a sapling
b
: a nursery plant not yet transplanted
seedling adjective

Illustration of seedling

Illustration of seedling
  • 1 primary root
  • 2 rootlet
  • 3 root hairs
  • 4 hypocotyl
  • 5 cotyledon
  • 6 young stem
  • 7 true leaf

Examples of seedling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hand pulling or digging seedlings is the best method of control. Melinda Myers, Journal Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2024 Invest in a light that is large enough to cover the entire tray of seedlings. Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2024 Vita Coco matches all coconut seedlings planted by Roblox users (up to 100,000) by distributing real seedlings to their coconut farming community partners. Meimei Fox, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Protect –Prevent damping-off disease on spring seedlings by watering or spritzing with chamomile tea, a natural antifungal. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024 In 2016, his lab screened the genes of seedlings to find mutant plants with unusual responses to light. Quanta Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024 And last year, the nurseries helped supply a nonprofit with 10,000 seedlings for dense plantings by 4,000 children on urban school grounds. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2024 The institute encourages refugees with small cash payments for specific work done, maps out plans to reforest specific blocks of land and provides seedlings. Rodney Muhumuza, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Jan. 2024 Second, be sure that the outer seedlings are covered by the light source as well as the center. Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seedling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seedling was in 1629

Dictionary Entries Near seedling

Cite this Entry

“Seedling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seedling. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

seedling

noun
seed·​ling ˈsēd-liŋ How to pronounce seedling (audio)
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
: a tree before it becomes a sapling
seedling adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on seedling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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