sapling

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noun sap·ling \ ˈsa-pliŋ , -plən \

Definition of sapling

1 :a young tree; specifically :one not over four inches (about 10 centimeters) in diameter at breast height

2 :youth 2a

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Recent Examples of sapling from the Web

Even large specimen trees are lost as the developer follows the common practice of identifying specimen trees to remove and replace with two saplings.

— Laurel Leader, "Preserving, protecting our endangered species [Letter]," 17 Aug. 2017
At first, the local community were paid to plant trees, but most of the saplings died, as nobody had a monetary stake in their survival.

— charlie campbell / baotou, Time, "China's Greening of the Vast Kubuqi Desert is a Model for Land Restoration Projects Everywhere," 27 July 2017
The Living Urn, not surprisingly based in free-spirited Colorado, sells a bio urn and planting system designed to grow a sapling from cremations.

— jill gleeson, Woman's Day, "Funerals Are the Worst Way to Honor Those We Loved," 15 July 2017
With a cutting width of 72 inches, the Hog can handle tree saplings up to 2 inches in diameter -- perfect for the kind of rough undergrowth that goats are often deployed to.

— christopher ingraham, chicagotribune.com, "Forget robots. The goats are coming for our jobs.," 10 July 2017
A teenage boy shot his neighbor, a 48-year-old woman in the leg with a BB gun 6:36 p.m. July 3 after the neighbors argued about tree saplings on the property line between them.

— joan rusek, cleveland.com, "Police chase and catch one-legged thief on crutches," 10 July 2017
In 1692, all a sapling had to fear was weather, disease or passing horses.

— justin wm. moyer, Washington Post, "‘What a tragedy’: A tree as old as the Salem witch trials falls in Washington," 28 June 2017
Within a few months the saplings had reached an impressive height and produced a cornucopia of yellow fruit.

— martin sturzenegger, USA TODAY, "Swiss startup crafts green toilets to turn human waste into fertilizer," 24 June 2017
Some Newport Beach locals did the latter Wednesday, turning over new leaves with the donation of three saplings at the jetty’s base at the Wedge surf spot to replace familiar trees lost during heavy weather earlier this year.

— hillary davis, Daily Pilot, "New donated trees take root at the Wedge to replace those lost to storms," 8 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sapling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sapling

14th century

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

SAPLING Defined for English Language Learners

sapling

play

noun

Definition of sapling for English Language Learners

: a young tree

SAPLING Defined for Kids

sapling

play

noun sap·ling \ ˈsa-pliŋ \

Definition of sapling for Students

:a young tree

Learn More about sapling

See words that rhyme with sapling Spanish Central: Translation of sapling Nglish: Translation of sapling for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sapling for Arabic speakers

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sapling

Definition of sapling

Recent Examples of sapling from the Web

First Known Use of sapling

Other Botany Terms

SAPLING Defined for English Language Learners

sapling

Definition of sapling for English Language Learners

SAPLING Defined for Kids

sapling

Definition of sapling for Students

Learn More about sapling

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sapling

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