spawn

[ spawn ]

noun

, plural spawn, spawns.

1. Zoology. the mass of eggs deposited by fishes, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.
2. Mycology. the mycelium of mushrooms, especially of the species grown for the market.
3. Usually Disparaging. a swarming brood; numerous progeny:

   Diners at the restaurant were annoyed by the two inconsiderate parents and their unruly spawn.

4. any person or thing regarded as the offspring of some stock, idea, etc.

adjective

1. of or relating to the spawning of a character or item in a video game: the spawn rate.

   a spawn point;

   the spawn rate.

verb (used without object)

1. to deposit eggs or sperm directly into the water, as fishes.
2. (of a character or item in a video game) to originate at a fixed point in an existing game environment:

   An enemy character just spawned right on top of me!

verb (used with object)

1. to produce (spawn).
2. to give birth to; give rise to:

   His sudden disappearance spawned many rumors.

   Synonyms: beget, yield, generate, engender

3. to produce in large number.
4. to plant with mycelium.

spawn

/ spɔːn /

noun

1. the mass of eggs deposited by fish, amphibians, or molluscs
2. derogatory.
   offspring, product, or yield
3. botany the nontechnical name for mycelium

verb

1. (of fish, amphibians, etc) to produce or deposit (eggs)
2. derogatory.
   (of people) to produce (offspring)
3. tr to produce or engender

spawn

/ spôn /

Noun

1. The eggs of water animals such as fish, amphibians, and mollusks.
2. Offspring produced in large numbers.

Verb

1. To lay eggs; produce spawn.

Derived Forms

• ˈspawner, noun

Other Words From

• spawner noun
• un·spawned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spawn¹

1350–1400; Middle English spawnen (v.), probably < Anglo-French espaundre ( Old French espandre ) to expand

Word History and Origins

Origin of spawn¹

C14: from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French spandre to spread out, expand

Example Sentences

The product became notorious for its viral launch - with only a limited stocks made available, Prime spawned a re-sale market with bottles being advertised for hundreds of pounds.

From BBC

Photos taken at the event became global news and spawned a Channel Five documentary and a musical version.

From BBC

Some spend months underground, and illegal mining has spawned a small economy providing food and cigarettes to the miners.

From BBC

The videos have even spawned musical tributes, with one being reworked into a dance track.

From BBC

Another popular hashtag they use is “address book,” a near homonym for “homosexual” in Chinese, which has also spawned the offshoot keywords “female notebook” or “male notebook.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• create
• generate