1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe i. f. Cxi^v A sprowtynge or burstynge out in the secret places of man and woman,..some doth name it an ych for the pacient must crache and clawe.

1635 J. Swan Speculum Mundi vi. §1. 189 The third [matter] is pertinent to the sprouting and springing of the earth.

1672 O. Walker Of Educ. i. ii. 19 Prevent the very first beginnings, and sprowtings of bad actions.

1763 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry II. 336 The autumn was..favourable to the sprouting of the corn.

a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. iv. 350 Nor can you be too vigilant to watch the sprouting of evil weeds that may start up in them from time to time.

1813 H. Davy Elements Agric. Chem. v. 189 The process of malting should be carried on no farther than to produce the sprouting of the radicle.

1876 Christian Monitor June 263/2 He restrains the first sprouting of evil desire.

1906 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 13 Jan. 63/2 A periodical sprouting of irregular pale excrescences.

1986 Tampa Bay Aug. 25/2 A sprouting of the most active ‘arts in the park’ spring season in the city's history.

2004 Technol. & Culture 45 758 The FDA allowed low-dose irradiation..to inhibit ripening and sprouting of fruits and vegetables.

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iii. xlvi. 383 The first springes or sprutinges are very good to be eaten in Salade.

1631 E. Reynolds Three Treat. ii. 315 The sproutings and rebellions of naturall Concupiscence.

1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 194 Like the strings or sproutings of the herb Horse-tail.

1718 J. Gardiner tr. R. Rapin Of Gardens (ed. 2) ii. 70 The tender Sproutings only let them spare, For Shoots yet weak require protecting Care.

1762 R. Guy Pract. Observ. Cancers 123 In another Week the Sproutings of Flesh began to go away.

1838 M. F. Tupper Proverb. Philos. 213 Neither were the sproutings of his soul seared by the brand of superstition.

1887 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 26 Nov. 1179/2 Special stress was laid on there being no new sproutings noticeable at the places of excision.

1916 Amer.-Scandinavian Rev. Sept. 271 The first faint literary sproutings in the Finnish language appeared as early as in the fifteenth century.

1951 Sci. Monthly Nov. 294/1 He began to observe sproutings from stumps.

2014 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 3 Aug. a1 A long walkway cut through sproutings of a green lawn.

1854 F. A. Abel & C. L. Bloxam Hand-bk. Chem. 519 This mass of silver sometimes presents a very peculiar appearance, as of arborescent branches, sometimes of considerable length, springing from its upper (convex) surface (sprouting).

1878 W. A. Goodyear tr. T. Boderman & B. Kerl Treat. Assaying Lead, Copper, Silver, Gold, & Mercury 122 This sprouting is always, indeed, an evidence of the purity of the silver.

1933 Chem. Age 29 (Metallurgical section) 9/2 This covering of the surface is really only necessary when the purer silver alloys are refined, as the cast metal is then guilty of ‘sprouting’.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Iallissement, a spurting, sprowting, spouting, or spinning vp (of water).

1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. vii. 49 The very water he saw in the glasse extremely dilated by the forcible sprouting of it out from the seruants mouth.

2018 J. D. Thapa in S. Hazarika & R. Banerjee Gender, Poverty & Livelihood in Eastern Himalayas ii. 45 Monsoons bring abundant water in the two villages and this leads to the sprouting of water from the ground aquifers in all places.

1531 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Chron. Scotl. (1941) II. xii. xi. 172 King Macolme gaif grete labouris to expell þis sprouttand pest fra his pepill.

1566 J. Studley tr. Seneca Medea iv. f. 36 Then hath the twygges begonne, with sprowting blossom fresh to blome.

a1625 J. Fletcher Noble Gentleman ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ee^v/1 That hat Doth not become his largely sprouting fore-head.

1641 G. Sandys Paraphr. Song Solomon ii. iv Green Figs on sprouting trees appear.

1719 A. Ramsay Content 3 When genial Beams..from the Clod invite the sprouting Corn.

1771 Encycl. Brit. III. 644 Dry lint..at the same time is an easy compress upon the sprouting fungus.

1826 G. W. Benedict Oration delivered at Burlington 22 The already sprouting seeds of commotion and blood-shed.

1888 E. Gerard Land beyond Forest II. xlv. 236 He..had a small sallow face, a sprouting moustache, and dark eyes.

1933 N.Y. Times 26 Jan. 38/2 No sign of sprouting buds could be seen on the trees.

1951 Folk-lore 62 286 The stone mask at the Quimper Museum has a human face with a flat nose and the sprouting horns and pointed ears of a goat.

2002 M. Thomashow Bringing Biosphere Home viii. 191 The forest floor is covered with the sprouting leaves of Canada mayflowers.

1789 J. Abercrombie Compl. Kitchen Gardener 66 The varieties of Broccoli are..Green sprouting broccoli. Brown broccoli. Black broccoli. White, or cauliflower broccoli.

1895 Daily News 20 Apr. 5/4 Sprouting broccoli and turnip tops are the cheapest green vegetables.

1948 G. D. H. Bell Cultivated Plants Farm xiv. 127 Sprouting broccoli, brussels sprouts and special kales such as early kale or cottager's kale are all grown essentially for human consumption.

2017 Sunday Times (Nexis) 8 Jan. (Features section) 13 Serve with some steamed greens, such as sprouting broccoli.