sprig
/sprɪɡ/ (bre, ipa) · /sprɪɡ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsprig/ (ame, mw)
sprig — noun
- sprigsingular
- sprigsplural
1. a short, thin piece broken or cut from a plant, typically carrying a few leaves,
a short, thin piece broken or cut from a plant, typically carrying a few leaves, used in cooking, drinks, or as a small decoration.
Nellie garnished the lamb stew with a fresh sprig of rosemary from the garden.
collocation: sprig of rosemary / thyme / mint / parsley
The bartender dropped a sprig of mint into Linh's cocktail before serving it.
typical cooking/drink context
Adina tucked a small sprig of lavender into the envelope along with her letter.
On the Christmas table sat a roast goose decorated with sprigs of holly and red berries.
文法句型
a sprig of [plant/herb]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in the partitive pattern 'a sprig of + [herb/plant]', most often with rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley, lavender, or holly. Distinguish from sense 2: this is a real piece of plant; sense 2 is its painted or carved likeness on an object.
常見錯誤
2. a painted, woven, or carved pattern on fabric, china, or wallpaper that imitates
a painted, woven, or carved pattern on fabric, china, or wallpaper that imitates a small leafy stem or tiny flowers.
Felipe's grandmother kept her wedding china, each plate edged with delicate pink sprigs.
decorative-arts context: china edged with sprigs
Reema chose a cotton dress printed with tiny blue sprigs for her cousin's tea party.
collocation: printed with sprigs
The bedroom curtains showed a Victorian sprig design that matched the wallpaper exactly.
Jiwoo painted small green sprigs around the rim of each teacup in her studio.
文法句型
a sprig design
decorated with sprigs
用法筆記
Typical in decorative-arts and textile descriptions (china, fabric, wallpaper). Distinguish from sense 1: this names a printed or carved image of a sprig, not an actual plant stem.
sprig — verb
- sprigpresent simple I / you / we / they
- sprigs3rd person singular
- sprigging-ing form
- spriggedpast simple
1. to fasten a thin piece of wood, glass, or similar material in place using small
to fasten a thin piece of wood, glass, or similar material in place using small headless tacks — known in the trade as sprigs.
Luca carefully sprigged the new pane of glass into the old window frame.
carpentry/glazing context
The picture framer sprigged the backing board to the oak frame in under a minute.
craft register; sprig + object + to + surface
Rachid showed his apprentice how to sprig the thin moulding without splitting the wood.
The old shoes had been sprigged together by hand a hundred years ago.
文法句型
sprig + [object]
用法筆記
Confined to carpentry, glazing, picture-framing, and traditional shoemaking. Object is normally a thin piece being held against a frame or sole. Most learners will never need this sense — it appears only in trade writing.
2. to decorate a surface — usually china, fabric, or paper — with small painted or
to decorate a surface — usually china, fabric, or paper — with small painted or printed images that look like leafy stems.
Mert's apprentice sprigged the teapot with pale green leaves and tiny pink rosebuds.
ceramics decoration context
The factory used to sprig its finest porcelain by hand before the war.
passive-adjacent: sprig + porcelain
Anya sprigged the cotton border with rows of forget-me-nots for her sister's quilt.
Each plate in the set had been sprigged with a different wildflower from the local meadow.
文法句型
sprig + [object]
用法筆記
Used almost only in writing about ceramics, textiles, and decorative arts; never in everyday speech. Distinguish from sense 1: that sense fastens with nails; this sense decorates with painted plant images.
3. to start a new lawn or playing field by planting many small pieces of a creeping
to start a new lawn or playing field by planting many small pieces of a creeping grass instead of laying ready-grown turf or scattering seed.
Élise sprigged the back lawn with Bermuda grass last spring, and it spread quickly.
horticulture/lawn-care context
The grounds crew sprigged the new football field two months before the season began.
sports-turf register
Many golf courses in Florida prefer to sprig the fairways because seed germinates poorly in the heat.
After the drought killed most of the turf, the gardener sprigged the bare patches with St. Augustine.
- sow
to start grass from seed rather than stolons
文法句型
sprig + [area / grass type]
用法筆記
An American horticultural and sports-turf term; the British equivalent is normally simply 'to plant by stolons' or 'to plant with runners'. Object is typically a lawn, field, or fairway.