sprig

American  

[sprig] / sprɪg /

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.

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verb (used with object)

sprigged, sprigging

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 British  

/ 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. another name for stud 1

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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)

Other Word Forms

• sprigger noun
• spriggy adjective

Etymology

Origin of sprig

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

Explanation

Spruce up your iced tea with a sprig of mint from the yard. A sprig is a cutting, stem, or small branch. A sprig is prettier than a twig because it often has leaves or flowers. As the stem of a plant, a sprig usually includes leaves and berries or flowers, like a sprig of holly on your front door at Christmas, or a sprig of rosemary as a garnish on your plate at dinner. Botanists, or plant scientists, think of sprigs as cuttings from plants that can be planted in soil and grown, like a sprig from a crocus or strawberry plant. The process of planting sprigs even has a name—sprigging.

Example Sentences

While shooting the film at an airport off the east coast of Panama, Herzog, in costume, spotted a man on the other side of a high fence holding a sprig of flowers in his hand.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025

Four of the plants included in the analysis are already extinct, including the Guadalupe Island olive, which was sequenced using a dried sprig from 1875.

From New York Times • May 11, 2024

Some crushed toasted almonds or another nut could be added for crunch, if you like, and/or a sprig of mint for garnish, if you’ve got any.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 1, 2023

Yes, parsley can be used as a garnish, either in sprig form, or minced and sprinkled over a dish to give it a finishing pop of color and flavor.

From Washington Times • Jun. 8, 2023

“You don’t think the sprig is a living thing?”

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Related Words

• sprout
• twig