outgrowths
|out-growth|
🇺🇸
/ˈaʊtˌɡroʊθ/
🇬🇧
/ˈaʊtˌɡrəʊθ/
(outgrowth)
something that grows out of something else
Etymology
'outgrowth' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of the words 'out' and 'growth', where 'out' meant 'outward' and 'growth' derives from 'grow' meaning 'to increase or become larger'.
'out' comes from Old English 'ūt' meaning 'out', and 'growth' comes from Old English 'growan' (to grow) with the noun-forming suffix '-th'; these elements combined in Middle/Modern English to form the compound 'outgrowth'.
Initially it referred chiefly to a literal, physical growth extending outward; over time it also came to be used figuratively for developments, offshoots, or by-products of processes or movements.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a physical projection or growth that extends out from a surface or body (e.g., a plant or animal), such as a bump, protuberance, or shoot.
The tree had several outgrowths near its base after the storm.
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Noun 2
a development, by-product, or secondary result that arises from a process or movement — often used figuratively to mean an offshoot or consequence.
Many modern institutions are outgrowths of 19th-century reforms.
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Last updated: 2025/12/14 01:36