spawn

spawn Definition

spawn (spôn)

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to produce or deposit (eggs, sperm, or young)
to bring forth or be the source of (esp. something regarded with contempt and produced in great numbers)
Hort. to plant with spawn, or mycelium

Etymology: ME spaunnen (for *spaunden) < Anglo-Fr espaundre < OFr espandre, to shed < L expandere: see expand

noun

the mass of eggs or young produced by fish, mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians, etc.
something produced, esp. in great quantity; specif., numerous offspring or progeny: usually contemptuous
the mycelium of fungi, esp. of mushrooms grown to be eaten

spawn Synonyms

spawn Usage Examples

Object

sequel: The film went on to spawn several sequels, one of them in 3D.
biomass: In 1988 the spawning stock biomass was about 100,000 tons.
imitator: Easily shipped, easy to lift and to fold into a car trunk, the Cute was unique and has spawned many imitators.
spin-off: The game raked in enough cash to spawn an historic racing spin-off, GT Legends, which received an equally warm reception.
tornado: The same storm spawned several tornadoes, killing one person and injuring several.
aggregation: For three years I had known about the phenomenon of snapper spawning aggregations in Belize.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

Modifies a noun

Modifying Another Word

naturally: These fish, which have spawned naturally in the pool, look like Common Carp but have no barbels.
since: The site was cleared by demolition in the 1980s and has since spawned a thriving natural habitat.
eventually: Eventually spawning the awesome End of Evangelion film, the series is probably the best animé available in the UK.
successfully: They will still require soft and acidic water to spawn successfully.
quickly: The program was an immediate hit, quickly spawning a range of toys, board games and even wallpaper.
already: Ash's album ' Free All Angels ' has already spawned four top 30 hits, three of which went top 20.

Preposition: in

pond: Also, this year I am doing a project on the spawn in the pond on the March 2004 page.
river: When fully grown they come back to spawn in the same river in which they were hatched.
water: Toads tend to spawn in deeper water forming ropes of eggs, which wind around plant stems.

Preposition: of

Satan: C'mon we're supposed to be the Spawn of Satan not scared off by train problems!
devil: A relief to know that he wasn't some spawn of the devil or some freak of nature.

Preposition: from

pond: The best way to stock a pond is to advertize in a local shop for spawn from another garden pond.

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