Illustration of seedling
- 1 primary root
- 2 rootlet
- 3 root hairs
- 4 hypocotyl
- 5 cotyledon
- 6 young stem
- 7 true leaf
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
a
: a young tree before it becomes a sapling
b
: a nursery plant not yet transplanted
seedling
adjective
Examples of seedling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rice seedling blight is a disease caused by the toxic by-product of a wild, endosymbiotic affair.
—
Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025
The freeze-thaw cycles experienced throughout winter also help work seeds into the ground, and spring rains provide the moisture needed for young seedlings to grow.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2025
As the tiny plants emerge, keep a sharp eye out for birds, gophers, snails and slugs who might find the seedlings tasty, Shepherd said.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
The actual Christmas trees, which are often kept indoors as seedlings and grow on high-altitude hillsides as adults, were relatively safe from flooding.
—Ash Reynolds, NBC News, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for seedling 
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Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025
The freeze-thaw cycles experienced throughout winter also help work seeds into the ground, and spring rains provide the moisture needed for young seedlings to grow.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2025
As the tiny plants emerge, keep a sharp eye out for birds, gophers, snails and slugs who might find the seedlings tasty, Shepherd said.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
The actual Christmas trees, which are often kept indoors as seedlings and grow on high-altitude hillsides as adults, were relatively safe from flooding.
—Ash Reynolds, NBC News, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for seedling
Dictionary Entries Near seedling
Cite this Entry
“Seedling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seedling. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
seedling
noun
seed·ling
ˈsēd-liŋ 
1
: a young plant grown from seed
2
: a tree before it becomes a sapling
seedling
adjective
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