Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps a specific sense development of sprout n.² Compare also sprent n.¹, and perhaps also sprot n.¹The evidence all comes from mixed language documents, and may reflect an Anglo-Norman rather than a Middle English form, although in either case it may well not reflect a form that was ever in genuine use.

Etymology: < sprout v.¹ Compare Middle Dutch sprūte, spruyte shoot, offshoot (Dutch spruit, also denoting young or tender shoots of brassicas), Middle Low German sprūte, sprūt shoot, offshoot, young or tender shoots of brassicas.With sense 5 compare Dutch spruit and Afrikaans spruit in similar use (see spruit n.).

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian sprūta to come forth, to spring up, to spread (West Frisian sprute ), Middle Dutch sprūten , spruyten to have shoots, to spring up, to originate from, to result, follow from, (of water) to well up, spring (Dutch spruiten ), Middle Low German sprūten to have shoots, to spring up, to originate from, to result, follow from (in Old Saxon only in prefixed form ūtsprūtan to have shoots, to spring up), Middle High German spriezen to spring up, grow (German spriessen ); further etymology uncertain and disputed. The same Germanic base is shown by sprit v.¹, sprote n.¹ and its cognates, and perhaps also by Gothic sprauto (adverb) quickly, fast. Compare sprout v.², which may show a specific sense development of this word.In Old English a strong verb of Class II. Only prefixed forms are attested, as asprūtan to sprout forth, to spring up (only attested in past tense plural and past participle; compare a- prefix¹), and geondsprūtan to pervade (in an isolated attestation as geondsprēot , probably 3rd singular past tense indicative; compare yond prep.). Beside the weak Class I verb spryttan sprit v.¹ (with zero-grade of the Germanic base), a rare weak verb sprȳtan is apparently also attested in Old English (only in forms of the infinitive). It is possible that the early Middle English (west midlands) form sprute may show its reflex. The β. forms may partly (especially in non-Scots sources) result from influence from Dutch spruiten. In sense 5 probably < sprout n.²

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps a specific use of sprout v.¹, perhaps resulting from association with spout v. Compare Norwegian sprute , Swedish spruta , Danish sprude , in the meanings to spirt, squirt, spout, ultimately < the same Germanic base as sprout v.¹ (compare also German spritzen spritz v.).