spawn
spawn Lexical Profile
spawn Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To release or deposit eggs (of a fish, amphibian, mollusk, or crustacean).
"Every autumn, Pacific salmon swim upstream to spawn in the gravel beds where they hatched."
To generate, produce, or give rise to a series of things, especially in large numbers.
"The groundbreaking novel spawned dozens of sequels, adaptations, and scholarly essays."
To appear or cause an entity to appear at a specific location within a virtual environment (in video games).
"Players will spawn at the base camp if their character is defeated during the mission."
• noun
The eggs of fish, amphibians, crustaceans, or mollusks, typically released in large masses in water.
"The shallow pond was filled with clusters of frog spawn clinging to the water reeds."
A person's offspring, children, or the product of a particular origin (often used humorously or disparagingly).
"In the ancient myth, the monster was described as the terrifying spawn of the underworld."
The threadlike mycelium of fungi, especially prepared in organic matter for propagating mushrooms.
"The grower mixed the mushroom spawn into the pasteurized straw substrate."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to human children or descendants, the noun 'spawn' is almost always used in a humorous, derogatory, or supernatural context rather than neutral speech.
• Rhymes for spawn
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English spawnen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman espaundre ('to shed roe'), ultimately derived from Latin expandere ('to spread out').