First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1bud
noun \ˈbəd\
: a small part that grows on a plant and develops into a flower, leaf, or new branch
Full Definition of BUD
1
: a small lateral or terminal protuberance on the stem of a plant that may develop into a flower, leaf, or shoot
2
: something not yet mature or at full development: as a : an incompletely opened flower b : child, youth c (1) : an outgrowth of an organism that differentiates into a new individual : gemma (2) : an outgrowth having the potential to differentiate and grow into a definitive organ or part : primordium <an embryonic limb bud>
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Origin of BUD
Middle English budde
Related to BUD
2bud
verb
: to produce buds
bud·dedbud·ding
Full Definition of BUD
intransitive verb
1
of a plant a : to set or put forth buds b : to commence growth from buds
2
: to grow or develop from or as if from a bud
3
: to reproduce asexually especially by the pinching off of a small part of the parent
transitive verb
1
: to produce or develop from buds
2
: to cause (as a plant) to bud
3
: to insert a bud from a plant of one kind into an opening in the bark of (a plant of another kind) usually in order to propagate a desired variety
— bud·der noun
See bud defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of BUD
14th century
BUD Defined for Kids
1bud
noun \ˈbəd\
Definition of BUD for Kids
1
: a small growth at the tip or on the side of a stem that later develops into a flower, leaf, or branch
2
: a flower that has not fully opened
3
: an early stage of development <Let's nip this problem in the bud.>
2bud
verb
bud·dedbud·ding
Definition of BUD for Kids
1
: to form or put forth a small growth that develops into a flower, leaf, or branch <The trees budded early this spring.>
2
: to reproduce by asexual means by forming a small growth that pinches off and develops into a new organism <a budding yeast cell>
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