spawn (spôn) n. 1. The eggs of aquatic animals such as bivalve mollusks, fishes, and amphibians.
2. Offspring, especially when occurring in large numbers.
3. A product or an outcome: the spawn of a prodigious imagination.
4. Mycelia of mushrooms or other fungi grown in specially prepared organic matter for planting in beds.
v. spawned , spawn·ing , spawns
v. intr. 1. To deposit eggs; produce spawn.
2. To produce offspring in large numbers.
v. tr. 1. To produce or deposit (spawn).
2. To produce (offspring).
3. To produce or give rise to: tyranny that spawned revolt.
4. To plant with mycelia grown in specially prepared organic matter.
[Middle English spawne , from spawnen , to spawn , from Anglo-Norman espaundre , from Latin expandere ; see expand .]
spawn′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
spawn (spɔːn ) n 1. (Zoology) the mass of eggs deposited by fish, amphibians, or molluscs
2. often derogatory offspring, product, or yield
3. (Botany)
botany the nontechnical name for
mycelium vb 4. (Zoology) (of fish, amphibians, etc) to produce or deposit (eggs)
5. often derogatory (of people) to produce (offspring)
6. (tr ) to produce or engender
[C14: from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French spandre to spread out, expand]
ˈspawner n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
spawn (spɔn) n. 1. the mass of eggs deposited in the water by fishes, amphibians, and other aquatic creatures.
2. the mycelium of mushrooms, esp. of the species grown for the market.
3. a swarming brood; numerous progeny.
4. (used with a sing. or pl. v. ) any person or thing regarded as the offspring of some stock, idea, etc.
v.i. 5. to deposit eggs or sperm directly into the water.
v.t. 6. to produce (spawn).
7. to give birth to; give rise to: His disappearance spawned many rumors.
8. to produce in large number.
9. to plant with mycelium.
[1350–1400; Middle English (v.), probably < Anglo-French
espaundre (Old French
espandre ) to
expand ]
spawn′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
spawn (spôn) Noun 1. The eggs of water animals such as fish, amphibians, and mollusks.
2. Offspring produced in large numbers.
Verb To lay eggs; produce spawn.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
spawn Past participle: spawnedGerund: spawningImperative Present Preterite Present Continuous Present Perfect Past Continuous Past Perfect Future Future Perfect Future Continuous Present Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Conditional Past Conditional Present I spawn you spawn he/she/it spawns we spawn you spawn they spawn
Preterite I spawned you spawned he/she/it spawned we spawned you spawned they spawned
Present Continuous I am spawning you are spawning he/she/it is spawning we are spawning you are spawning they are spawning
Present Perfect I have spawned you have spawned he/she/it has spawned we have spawned you have spawned they have spawned
Past Continuous I was spawning you were spawning he/she/it was spawning we were spawning you were spawning they were spawning
Past Perfect I had spawned you had spawned he/she/it had spawned we had spawned you had spawned they had spawned
Future I will spawn you will spawn he/she/it will spawn we will spawn you will spawn they will spawn
Future Perfect I will have spawned you will have spawned he/she/it will have spawned we will have spawned you will have spawned they will have spawned
Future Continuous I will be spawning you will be spawning he/she/it will be spawning we will be spawning you will be spawning they will be spawning
Present Perfect Continuous I have been spawning you have been spawning he/she/it has been spawning we have been spawning you have been spawning they have been spawning
Future Perfect Continuous I will have been spawning you will have been spawning he/she/it will have been spawning we will have been spawning you will have been spawning they will have been spawning
Past Perfect Continuous I had been spawning you had been spawning he/she/it had been spawning we had been spawning you had been spawning they had been spawning
Conditional I would spawn you would spawn he/she/it would spawn we would spawn you would spawn they would spawn
Past Conditional I would have spawned you would have spawned he/she/it would have spawned we would have spawned you would have spawned they would have spawned
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
spawn To lay many small eggs, as do fish, for example.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited