with obj.
1- grow (plant shoots or hair)长出（芽, 毛）：
many black cats sprout a few white hairs.
许多黑猫长有一些白毛。
1.1
- no obj.(of a plant, flower, or hair) start to grow; spring up（植物, 花, 毛）长出; 萌生：
crocuses sprouted up from the grass
藏红花从草丛中长出来
figurative〈喻〉forms of nationalism sprouted as the system collapsed.
随着体制的崩溃, 出现了种种形态的民族主义。
1
- a shoot of a plant（植物的）新芽; 嫩枝; 籽苗。
1.1
sprouts
young shoots, especially of alfalfa, mung beans, or soybeans, eaten as a vegetable（用作蔬菜的）嫩芽（尤指紫花苜蓿芽、绿豆芽或黄豆芽）。
2
- short for BRUSSELS SPROUT.BRUSSELS SPROUT的简称。
词源
Middle English: of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch spruiten and German spriessen.