ratoon

1 of 2

noun

ra·​toon ra-ˈtün How to pronounce ratoon (audio)
1
: a shoot of a perennial plant (such as sugarcane)
2
: a crop (as of bananas) produced on ratoons

ratoon

2 of 2

verb

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

Examples of ratoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ratoon was in 1631

Dictionary Entries Near ratoon

Cite this Entry

“Ratoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ratoon. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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