Illustration of seedling
- 1 primary root
- 2 rootlet
- 3 root hairs
- 4 hypocotyl
- 5 cotyledon
- 6 young stem
- 7 true leaf
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
a
: a young tree before it becomes a sapling
b
: a nursery plant not yet transplanted
seedling
adjective
Examples of seedling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kate warns this makes young plants super susceptible to abuse and suggests protecting seedlings with wire cages and trellises or even surrounding fragile plants with hardy herbs, such as rosemary or lavender to create a natural protective barrier.
—
Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
To plant seedlings with bushier roots, the company acquired a machine that pumps out cigarlike tubes of soil wrapped in brown paper and produces far more seedlings a week than a human could manage.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Those include caging seedlings to protect them from hungry animals, which increases their survival odds almost five-fold, according to Erin Knight, a biological science technician at the preserve.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Light infestations of honeysuckle with smaller plants and seedlings can be removed by hand, but the Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group says to try and minimize soil disturbance.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024
Even burn management of land parcels does little more than release the pear seedlings from competition from other plants.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
Consider protecting the small seedlings from critters and other potential damage.
—Melinda Myers, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024
The bigger and bigger a seedling gets, the better and better its chances of making it.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
This was the seedling moment for The Closest Thing to Silence, the debut album from the three musicians.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 2 Feb. 2024
Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
To plant seedlings with bushier roots, the company acquired a machine that pumps out cigarlike tubes of soil wrapped in brown paper and produces far more seedlings a week than a human could manage.
—Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Those include caging seedlings to protect them from hungry animals, which increases their survival odds almost five-fold, according to Erin Knight, a biological science technician at the preserve.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Light infestations of honeysuckle with smaller plants and seedlings can be removed by hand, but the Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group says to try and minimize soil disturbance.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024
Even burn management of land parcels does little more than release the pear seedlings from competition from other plants.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024
Consider protecting the small seedlings from critters and other potential damage.
—Melinda Myers, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024
The bigger and bigger a seedling gets, the better and better its chances of making it.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
This was the seedling moment for The Closest Thing to Silence, the debut album from the three musicians.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 2 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seedling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1629, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near seedling
Cite this Entry
“Seedling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seedling. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
seedling
noun
seed·ling
ˈsēd-liŋ 
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
: a tree before it becomes a sapling
seedling
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on seedling
Nglish: Translation of seedling for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of seedling for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about seedling
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share