sprig

Definition

A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray.

Etymology

From Middle English sprig, sprigge, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle Low German sprik, spricke (“a dry, easily broken twig that has fallen from a tree; sprig”). Compare also dialectal English sprag (“sprig, twig”), English spray (“branch”), Old English spræc (“a shoot”), German Low German Spricke, Sprick (“dry branch, twig”).

Example Sentences

• "a sprig of laurel or of parsley"
• "[…] from this bush in the dooryard, / With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green, / A sprig with its flower I break."
• "“Why, one sprig of nut grass can ruin a whole yard.[…]""