spruit

English

Etymology

Afrikaans spruit. Doublet of sprout.

Noun

spruit (plural spruits)

1. (South Africa) A small headstream; a stream flowing through a village, dry in summer.
   • 1901 October 11, Colonel F. V. Corbett, “Report on Irrigation in Natal”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record‎^[1], volume 4, number 16, page 489:

     Though there is such a poor prospect for public irrigation schemes, the country seems, on the whole, fairly well watered in years of normal rainfall, and there are many springs and "spruits," or rivulets, more or less permanent.

Anagrams

• purist, stir up, tripus, uprist, upstir

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch spruit, from Middle Dutch sprute. Cognate with English sprite, sprout.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

spruit (plural spruite, diminutive spruitjie)

1. (geography) stream or small river; river branch

Usage notes

• Especially used in toponyms.

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch sprute, spruut, spruyte, from Old Dutch *sprūtan. Cognate with English sprite, sprout.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sprœy̯t/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spruit
• Rhymes: -œy̯t

Noun

spruit f (plural spruiten, diminutive spruitje n)

1. (botany) A sprout, shoot, a branch-like part of a plant which grows from the rest
2. A child, seen as a parent's offspring, usually said of a minor
3. (construction) A style or beam which rests on another
4. A branch of a plumbing pipe, rope etc.
5. (geography) A small river, river branch, especially used in South African toponyms

Derived terms

• bladspruit
• spruitje (“Brussels sprout”)
• spruitkool
• spruitzwam

Descendants

• Afrikaans: spruit
• → Papiamentu: sprùit, spreit, spruitsje, spruit
• → Sranan Tongo: sproiti

Verb

spruit

1. inflection of spruiten:
   1. first/second/third-person singular present indicative
   2. imperative

References

• M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]