burgeon
Use Burgeon in a sentence
dʒən verb (used without object)
1.
to grow or develop quickly; flourish: The town burgeoned into a city. He burgeoned into a fine actor.
2.
to begin to grow, as a bud; put forth buds, shoots, etc., as a plant (often followed by out, forth ).
verb (used with object)
3.
to put forth, as buds.
noun
4.
a bud; sprout.
Also, bourgeon.
Origin:
1275–1325; (noun) Middle English burjon, burion; shoot, bud < Anglo-French burjun, burg(e)on; Old French burjon < Vulgar Latin *burriōne(m), accusative of *burriō, derivative of Late Latin burra wool, fluff (compare bourrée, bureau), presumably from the down covering certain buds; (v.) Middle English burg(e)onen, borgen < Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of the noun
1275–1325; (noun) Middle English burjon, burion; shoot, bud < Anglo-French burjun, burg(e)on; Old French burjon < Vulgar Latin *burriōne(m), accusative of *burriō, derivative of Late Latin burra wool, fluff (compare bourrée, bureau), presumably from the down covering certain buds; (v.) Middle English burg(e)onen, borgen < Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of the noun
Synonyms
1. bloom, blossom, mushroom, expand.
1. bloom, blossom, mushroom, expand.
Usage note
The two senses of burgeon, “to bud” (The maples are burgeoning) and “to grow or flourish” (The suburbs around the city have been burgeoning under the impact of commercial growth), date from the 14th century. Today the sense “to grow or flourish” is the more common. Occasionally, objections are raised to the use of this sense, perhaps because of its popularity in journalistic writing.
The two senses of burgeon, “to bud” (The maples are burgeoning) and “to grow or flourish” (The suburbs around the city have been burgeoning under the impact of commercial growth), date from the 14th century. Today the sense “to grow or flourish” is the more common. Occasionally, objections are raised to the use of this sense, perhaps because of its popularity in journalistic writing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To burgeon
Collins
World English Dictionary
burgeon or bourgeon (ˈbɜːdʒən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by forth | |
| 1. | (of a plant) to sprout (buds) |
| 2. | (intr |
| —n | |
| 3. | a bud of a plant |
| [C13: from Old French burjon, perhaps ultimately from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth; from the downiness of certain buds] | |
| bourgeon or bourgeon | |
| —vb | |
| —n | |
| [C13: from Old French burjon, perhaps ultimately from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth; from the downiness of certain buds] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Burgeon
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is fetid. Does it mean:
| having an offensive odor; stinking |
| severely critical or sarcastic: |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
burgeon
early 14c., from O.Fr. borjoner "to bud, sprout," from borjon "a bud, shoot, pimple," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Germanic. Related: Burgeoned; burgeoning.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Even the smallest backyard woods can burgeon with space for wildlife when you plan for the third dimension.
As nascent cultures burgeon, others inexorably come close to an end.
Private colleges burgeon as public universities languish from lack of resources.
Conflict allows neglected diseases to burgeon in many ways.
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