ratoon
1 of 2noun
ra·toon ra-ˈtün 
1
: a shoot of a perennial plant (such as sugarcane)
2
: a crop (as of bananas) produced on ratoons
ratoon
2 of 2verb
ratooned; ratooning; ratoons
intransitive verb
: to sprout or spring up from the root
transitive verb
: to grow or produce (a crop) from or on ratoons
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Mozingo, latimes.com, 4 June 2018
Noun
Giant banana leaves, ratoons of sugar cane and bright orange guavas — set amid a jumble of sheds, trellises, fences and retaining walls — give the hill the look of a rural village carved from jungle. Joe Mozingo, latimes.com, 4 June 2018 Word History
Etymology
Noun
Spanish retoño, from retoñar to sprout, from re- (from Latin) + otoñar to grow in autumn, from otoño autumn, from Latin autumnus
First Known Use
Noun
1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1732, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
- semifixed ammunition
- semiflexible
- semifloating axle
- semifloating hitch
- semifluid
- semifluidities
- semifluids
- semiform
- semiformal
- semifossil
- semifreestone
- semigirder
- semiglaze
- semiglobular
- semigloss
- semiglosses
- semigovernmental
- semigregarious
- semigroup
- semigroups
- semihard
- semihardy
- semihexagonal
- semihoboes
- semihobos