spruit
English edit
Etymology edit
Afrikaans spruit. Doublet of sprout.
Noun edit
spruit (plural spruits)
- (South Africa) A small headstream; a stream flowing through a village, dry in summer.
- 1901 October 11, Colonel F. V. Corbett, “Report on Irrigation in Natal”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record[1], volume 4, number 16, page 489:
- Though there is such a poor prospect for public irrigation schemes, the country seems, on the whole, fairly well watered in years of normal rainfall, and there are many springs and "spruits," or rivulets, more or less permanent.
Anagrams edit
Afrikaans edit
Etymology edit
From Dutch spruit, from Middle Dutch sprute. Cognate with English sprite, sprout.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Noun edit
spruit (plural spruite, diminutive spruitjie)
Usage notes edit
- Especially used in toponyms.
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
From Middle Dutch sprute, spruut, spruyte, from Old Dutch *sprūtan. Cognate with English sprite, sprout.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
spruit f (plural spruiten, diminutive spruitje n)
- (botany) A sprout, shoot, a branch-like part of a plant which grows from the rest
- A child, seen as a parent's offspring, usually said of a minor
- (construction) A style or beam which rests on another
- A branch of a plumbing pipe, rope etc.
- (geography) A small river, river branch, especially used in South African toponyms
Derived terms edit
- bladspruit
- spruitje (“Brussels sprout”)
- spruitkool
- spruitzwam
Descendants edit
Verb edit
spruit
- inflection of spruiten:
References edit
- M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]