rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryscionFamily descendant
noun

scion

SIGH-un/ˈsaɪən/

A young shoot taken from a parent plant.

The gardener prepares the scion for grafting.

Hands hold a cut young shoot above prepared rootstock beside its parent plant.
Etymology
scionOld Frenchshoot, twig; descendant

Old French sion meant both a plant shoot and a descendant: a child is figuratively a new shoot of the family. This image underlies the prominent-family sense, though the word’s deeper origin is uncertain.

In context

Vivid Audio Library282:33
scion of his house
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel by George Meredith (Part 1) | Full Classic Victorian Novel Audiobook

More examples

  • Choose a healthy scion with several unopened buds.
  • She wraps the scions in a damp towel until grafting time.
  • New leaves emerge from the scion after the graft takes.

Forms

scion · scions

Similar words

cutting
A plant piece usually encouraged to grow its own roots.
shoot
New plant growth, whether still attached or cut off.