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Glite Dictionary
self-sown

self-sown

7.1
A plant that grows from a seed that fell without being planted by people
  • adjective
  • /sɛlf-soʊn/
translation icon : autóctono
  • The self-sown seedlings quickly took over the garden beds by summer.
  • self-sown seedlings

Examples

  • After last year’s harvest, several self-sown tomatoes sprouted unexpectedly in the compost pile.

  • Many wildflowers in the meadow are self-sown and appear each spring without any help.

  • The garden is full of self-sown wildflowers.

  • Look at that self-sown plant!

  • In my garden, I often enjoy the beauty of self-sown wildflowers that bloom without any help from me.

  • The field was filled with self-sown sunflowers, a testament to nature's ability to thrive without human intervention.

  • To create a vibrant garden, you can let self-sown plants grow freely and add to the natural landscape.

Synonyms

self-seeded
vsself-sown
6.4

A plant that grows naturally from seeds dropped without people planting it

focuses on seeds that fell and germinated rather than wider dispersal
self-sowed
vsself-sown
7.4

A plant that grows from seed on its own

stresses natural falling and germinating rather than general lack of human action

How Natural

wild
142 2.8
self-sown
7.1
sown
3.2
planted
1.0

Surface Forms

self-sown positive

Morphology

self-sown = self + sown (transparent) = self + sown

The meaning is directly built from 'self' + 'sown' (i.e., grown by itself from seed), so a learner who knows the components can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Self-sown combines self ('by itself') and sown, the past form of sow ('to plant seed'). It gives a clear picture of seeds that plant themselves, so self-sown means a plant that grew naturally without anyone planting it.