sprig

[ sprig ]

noun

1. a small spray of some plant with its leaves, flowers, etc.
2. an ornament having the form of such a spray.
3. a shoot, twig, or small branch.
4. Facetious. a scion, offspring, or heir of a family, class, etc.
5. a youth or young fellow.
6. glazier's point.
7. a headless brad.
8. Metallurgy.
   1. a small peg for reinforcing the walls of a mold.
   2. a metal insert, used to chill certain portions of cast metal, that becomes an integral part of the finished casting.

verb (used with object)

, sprigged, sprig·ging.

1. to mark or decorate (fabrics, pottery, etc.) with a design of sprigs.
2. to fasten with brads.
3. Horticulture. to propagate a plant, especially grass, by planting individual stolons.
4. Metallurgy. to reinforce the walls of (a mold) with sprigs.
5. to remove a sprig or sprigs from (a plant).

sprig

/ sprɪɡ /

noun

1. a shoot, twig, or sprout of a tree, shrub, etc; spray
2. an ornamental device resembling a spray of leaves or flowers
3. a small wire nail without a head
4. informal.
   a youth
5. informal.
   a person considered as the descendant of an established family, social class, etc
6. See stud
   another name for stud 1

verb

1. to fasten or secure with sprigs
2. to ornament (fabric, wallpaper, etc) with a design of sprigs
3. to make sprays from (twigs and branches)

Derived Forms

• ˈsprigger, noun
• ˈspriggy, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sprig¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sprigge (noun); origin uncertain; sense “peg” perhaps of distinct origin; sprag ¹, spray ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of sprig¹

C15: probably of Germanic origin; compare Low German sprick, Swedish sprygg

Example Sentences

Add a large spoonful of chopped vegetables, a few pickled chiles, and, if you’d like, some crumbled or shredded cheese, a squeeze of lime and a few sprigs of cilantro.

From Washington Post

Gather your herb sprigs by the stem ends and plunge the leaves into the boiling water for 15 seconds and then immediately submerge them in ice water for one minute.

From Popular-Science

Strain into a tall glass with fresh ice and serve with the sprig of mint.

From Outside Online

Cucumbers, scallions and sprigs of cilantro are the finishing touches.

From Washington Post

Bartleson even goes so far as to pack in some foliage, like a sprig of evergreen, that she’ll place in the corner of the shot to help frame the subject.

From Outside Online

It rocks because their recipes are straight-up, no pretentions, no useless sprig of rosemary.

From The Daily Beast

Even the celebrated shot of Uncle Paulie cutting garlic with a razor blade has a sprig of parsley in the foreground.

From The Daily Beast

Nur looked like a kind little old man, and he wore a sprig of wild thyme in his hood.

From Project Gutenberg

I have written at least a dozen about this cavern, and I've described it without even forgetting a single sprig of moss.

From Project Gutenberg

It appeared that the fact of her having been the landlady of the Holly Sprig made no difference in his case.

From Project Gutenberg

Delicate, refined, perfectly poised, and Kitty beside her like a sunflower to a sprig of heliotrope!

From Project Gutenberg

Then Marie began to explain, telling all about the candles, the sprig of box and the face of the corpse.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sprout
• twig