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View synonyms for bud

bud

1

[ buhd ]

noun

  1. Botany.
    1. a small axillary or terminal protuberance on a plant, containing rudimentary foliage leaf bud, the rudimentary inflorescence flower bud, or both mixed bud.
    2. an undeveloped or rudimentary stem or branch of a plant.
  2. Zoology. (in certain animals of low organization) a prominence that develops into a new individual, sometimes permanently attached to the parent and sometimes becoming detached; gemmule.
  3. Mycology. a small, rounded outgrowth produced from a fungus spore or cell by a process of asexual reproduction, eventually separating from the parent cell as a new individual: commonly produced by most yeast and a few other fungi.
  4. Anatomy. any small rounded part.
  5. an immature or undeveloped person or thing.
  6. Slang. marijuana, especially potent marijuana from the buds, or flowering tops, of the hemp plant.


verb (used without object)

, bud·ded, bud·ding.
  1. to put forth or produce buds.
  2. to begin to develop.
  3. to be in an early stage of development.

verb (used with object)

, bud·ded, bud·ding.
  1. to cause to bud.
  2. Horticulture. to graft by inserting a single bud into the stock.

bud

2

[ buhd ]

noun

  1. brother; buddy (used in informal address, as to one's brother or to a man or boy whose name is not known to the speaker).

Bud

3
or Budd

[ buhd ]

noun

  1. a male given name.

bud

1

/ bʌd /

noun

  1. a swelling on a plant stem consisting of overlapping immature leaves or petals
    1. a partially opened flower
    2. ( in combination )

      rosebud

  2. any small budlike outgrowth

    taste buds

  3. something small or immature
  4. an asexually produced outgrowth in simple organisms, such as yeasts, and the hydra that develops into a new individual
  5. a slang word for marijuana
  6. in bud
    in bud at the stage of producing buds
  7. nip in the bud
    nip in the bud to put an end to (an idea, movement, etc) in its initial stages


verb

  1. intr (of plants and some animals) to produce buds
  2. intr to begin to develop or grow
  3. tr horticulture to graft (a bud) from one plant onto another, usually by insertion under the bark

bud

2

/ bʌd /

noun

  1. See buddy
    informal.
    short for buddy

bud

/ bŭd /

Noun

  1. A small swelling on a branch or stem, containing an undeveloped shoot, leaf, or flower. Some species have mixed buds containing two of these structures, or even all three.
  2. Terminal buds occur at the end of a stem, twig, or branch.
  3. Axillary buds, also known as lateral buds , occur in the axils of leaves (in the upper angle of where the leaf grows from the stem).
  4. Accessory buds often occur clustered around terminal buds or above and on either side of axillary buds. Accessory buds are usually smaller than terminal and axillary buds.
  5. A small rounded outgrowth on an asexually reproducing organism, such as a yeast or hydra, that is capable of developing into a new individual.
  6. See more at budding
  7. A tiny part or structure, such as a taste bud, that is shaped like a plant bud.


Verb

  1. To form or produce a bud or buds.

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Other Words From

  • budder noun
  • budless adjective
  • budlike adjective
  • non·budding adjective noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bud1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English budde, bodde “bud, spray, pod”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Middle Dutch botte “bud,” or Old French bout “tip, end”

Origin of bud2

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; back formation from buddy

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bud1

C14 budde , of Germanic origin; compare Icelandic budda purse, Dutch buidel

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. in the bud, in an immature or undeveloped state: Also in bud.

    a Shakespeare in the bud.

  2. nip in the bud, to stop (something) in the beginning of its development:

    The rebellion was nipped in the bud.

More idioms and phrases containing bud

see nip in the bud .

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Example Sentences

Some control cell division or root production or bud formation.

Givago Miranda, a farmer in the Tres Pontas municipality of Minas Gerais, said his trees are withering and turning yellow, with buds getting “cooked” before opening in some cases.

From Fortune

The Epic headphones have deep, clear sound and a no-hassle fit, thanks to the five different ear tips and fins that help secure the buds.

This pathogenic bacterium can infest plant leaves, stems, buds, and flowers, causing a nasty infection and a lot of sick plants.

Learning how these cells sense and how information passes between them, the buds and the brain, he says, could someday allow people to engineer taste signals.

Can you imagine Bud Powell or Charlie Parker writing a jingle?

At one point Mullaney returned to Coronado and served as a BUD/S instructor training junior SEALs.

He owns a smallish vaporizer that still looks like it came from the future, and buys wax instead of bud.

Yeah,” he says finally, squelching his giggles by downing half a bottle of Bud, “that sounds like Ray.

Lebanese security agencies have been quick to try to nip what could well be a new bombing spate in the bud.

By a voice he saith: Hear me, ye divine offspring, and bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters.

When they shall rush in unto Jacob, Israel shall blossom and bud, and they shall fill the face of the world with seed.

He had seen Mildred creep from babyhood into childhood, and bud from girlhood to womanhood.

It was not until the third trip that Bud thought her beautiful, and was secretly glad that he had not kissed that San Jose girl.

But Bud happened to be a simple-souled fellow, and there was something about Marie—He didn't know what it was.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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