noun
Meaning 1
A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a sprig of laurel or of parsley
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
sprig
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/spɹɪɡ/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪɡ
noun
Meaning 2
An ornament resembling a small shoot or twig.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
One of the separate pieces of lace fastened on a ground in applique lace.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A youth; a lad.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory, humorous, mildly, sometimes
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A brad, or nail without a head.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A small eyebolt ragged or barbed at the point.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A house sparrow.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To decorate with sprigs, or with representations of sprigs, as in embroidery or pottery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To nail the sole onto a shoe.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
an ornament that resembles a spray of leaves or flowers
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decoration, ornament, ornamentation
noun
Meaning 11
a small branch or division of a branch (especially a terminal division); usually applied to branches of the current or preceding year
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: branchlet, twig
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: branch
Narrower terms: brier, wand, withe, withy
History
Etymology
From Middle English sprig, sprigge, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle Low German sprik, spricke (“a dry, easily broken twig that has fallen from a tree; sprig”). Compare also dialectal English sprag (“sprig, twig”), English spray (“branch”), Old English spræc (“a shoot”), German Low German Spricke, Sprick (“dry branch, twig”).
Across languages
Translations
52 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: عَسْلُوج (ʕaslūj) — small shoot or twig
- Armenian: շիվ (šiv) — small shoot or twig
- Bulgarian: клонче (klonče) — small shoot or twig
- Bulgarian: вейка (vejka) — small shoot or twig
- Czech: snítka — small shoot or twig
- Czech: větvička — small shoot or twig
- Finnish: oksa — small shoot or twig
- Finnish: lehvä — small shoot or twig
- Finnish: verso — small shoot or twig
- Finnish: havu — small shoot or twig
- French: brin — small shoot or twig
- French: rameau — small shoot or twig
- German: Zweiglein — small shoot or twig
- German: Büschchen — small shoot or twig
- German: Büschel — small shoot or twig
- Hungarian: ágacska — small shoot or twig
- Italian: rametto — small shoot or twig
- Central Kurdish: تەڵ (tell) — small shoot or twig
- Māori: tākupu — small shoot or twig
- Norwegian: kvist — small shoot or twig
- Norwegian: dusk (of parsely) — small shoot or twig
- Norwegian: liten grein — small shoot or twig
- Norwegian: bukett — small shoot or twig
- Occitan: ramelet — small shoot or twig
- Polish: gałązka — small shoot or twig
- Russian: ве́точка (vétočka) — small shoot or twig
- Russian: побе́г (pobég) — small shoot or twig
- Spanish: ramita — small shoot or twig
- Swedish: kvist — small shoot or twig
- Telugu: రెమ్మ (remma) — small shoot or twig
- Finnish: lehvä — ornament
- Swedish: bladornament — ornament
- Finnish: pala — piece of lace
- Bulgarian: младеж (mladež) — youth
- Finnish: kersa — youth
- Finnish: vesa — youth
- German: junger Hüpfer — youth
- Norwegian: jypling — youth
- Norwegian: oppkomling — youth
- Norwegian: spire — youth
- Polish: latorośl — youth
- Russian: о́тпрыск (ótprysk) — youth
- Spanish: muchacho — youth
- Bulgarian: щифт (štift) — brad
- Czech: hřebíček bez hlavy — brad
- Finnish: uppokantanaula — brad
- Finnish: dyckert-naula — brad
- Norwegian: dykker — brad
- Norwegian: dykkert — brad
- Norwegian: stift — brad
- Norwegian: trådstift — brad
- Finnish: silmäruuvi — small eyebolt ragged or barbed at the point