sapling

noun sap·ling \ ˈsa-pliŋ , -plən \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

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

2 : youth 2a

See sapling defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of sapling from the Web

For ecologists, excessive populations translate into the eradication of local fauna and forests that cannot replenish themselves because deer are eating all the young undergrowth and saplings.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Should Braintree allow bow hunting of deer on conservation land?," 30 Mar. 2018
For years, the Parks Department’s goal has been to plant 600 saplings of all kinds each year, or two trees for every one removed.

— leslie nemo, Curbed, "In Santa Barbara, severe drought is forcing residents to rethink landscape tradition," 30 Mar. 2018
The royal pair were due to plant a new sapling next to the old tree.

— shane croucher, Newsweek, "Canada Almost Humiliates Royal Family of Belgium With German Flag: 'There Was a Mixup'," 13 Mar. 2018
Step 3: Place the sapling gently in the planting hole after removing any plastic or wire from the root ball.

— roy berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How and When to Plant a Tree," 12 Mar. 2018
The mammoth tramples saplings, reducing forest cover and allowing grass to flourish.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "How could Ice Age tundra feed a mammoth?," 2 Mar. 2018
The sculpture will take an estimated three weeks to create from saplings shipped from upstate New York, and last for at least two years.

— monroe trombly, Cincinnati.com, "New tree sapling sculpture coming to Ault Park," 15 Feb. 2018
Officials are running educational programs and providing seeds, saplings and subsidies to farmers to meet the government’s target of increasing the cultivation of medicinal plants threefold, to cover 300,000 acres of land.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "How ghee, turmeric and aloe vera became India’s new instruments of soft power," 29 Jan. 2018
Wise old mother trees feed their saplings with liquid sugar and warn the neighbors when danger approaches.

— diàna markosian, Smithsonian, "Do Trees Talk to Each Other?," 22 Feb. 2018

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

noun

: a young tree

SAPLING Defined for Kids

sapling

noun sap·ling \ ˈsa-pliŋ \

: 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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Recent Examples of sapling from the Web

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