Origin: 1275–1325; (n.) ME
burjon, burion; shoot, bud < AF
burjun, burg(
e)
on; OF
burjon < VL
*burriōne(
m), acc. of
*burriō, deriv. of LL
burra wool, fluff (cf.
bourrée,
bureau ), presumably from the down covering certain buds; (v.) ME
burg(
e)
onen, borgen < AF, OF, deriv. of the n.
Synonyms:
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.
[bur-juh