English Explanatory Dictionary

sprig

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray.
  2. An ornament resembling a small shoot or twig.
  3. One of the separate pieces of lace fastened on a ground in applique lace.
  4. A youth; a lad.
  5. A brad, or nail without a head.
  6. A small eyebolt ragged or barbed at the point.
  7. A house sparrow.
verb
  1. To decorate with sprigs, or with representations of sprigs, as in embroidery or pottery.
  2. To nail the sole onto a shoe.

Pronunciation

/spɹɪɡ/ en-us-sprig.ogg

Word forms

sprig sprigs sprigging sprigged

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”).

Derived words

spriggy spriglet sprigtail sprigger

Translations

Arabic: عَسْلُوج Armenian: շիվ Bulgarian: клонче Bulgarian: вейка Czech: snítka Czech: větvička Finnish: oksa Finnish: lehvä Finnish: verso Finnish: havu French: brin French: rameau German: Zweiglein German: Büschchen German: Büschel Hungarian: ágacska Italian: rametto Central Kurdish: تەڵ Māori: tākupu Norwegian: kvist Norwegian: dusk (of parsely) Norwegian: liten grein Norwegian: bukett Occitan: ramelet Polish: gałązka Russian: ве́точка Russian: побе́г Spanish: ramita Swedish: kvist Telugu: రెమ్మ
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