Spross
/ʃpʁɔs/noun
A shoot or sprout of a plant; figuratively, an offspring or descendant.
Did you know?German uses Spross both for a new plant shoot and for a descendant, preserving an ancient metaphor of bloodlines literally growing like branches.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sprut-
“To sprout, shoot upward, or send forth new growth”
Old High German
OHG
sproz
“A shoot or sprout”
Middle High German
MHG
sproʒ
“A plant shoot; an offshoot”
Early New High German
German
Spross
“A sprout or newly growing shoot”
Modern German
German
Spross
“A plant shoot; figuratively, a child, descendant, or offspring”