苗木
解説 Definition
まだ若くて細い木。成長途中の若木や苗木のこと。
A sapling is a young tree that is still small and developing. The word is commonly used in gardening, farming, and discussions about forests or nature. It usually refers to a tree that is older than a seedling but not yet fully grown.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
まず seedling との違いで覚えると残りやすい語です。seedling は「発芽したばかりの苗」に近く、sapling はそれより育って「細いけれど、もう木の幹らしさがある若木」。語尾 -ling は duckling, underling などで見かける「小さい・若い」感のある形なので、sapling も“まだ小ぶりな木”と取れます。plant a sapling, an oak sapling のように植樹・森林の文脈で出やすく、shrub（低木）とは別物。tree になる一歩手前の姿を固定すると覚えやすい。
Remember it next to `seedling`: a `seedling` is very new, but a `sapling` is already more like a young tree. The ending `-ling` often suggests something small or young, so `sapling` feels like a little tree. Think of common phrases like `plant a sapling` or `an oak sapling`.
例文
The sapling we planted last spring has already grown several inches taller.
去年の春に植えた苗木はすでに数インチ高く成長した。
A deer had been nibbling on the young sapling in the backyard.
鹿が裏庭の若い苗木をかじっていた。
The volunteers planted hundreds of saplings along the riverbank to prevent erosion.
ボランティアたちは浸食を防ぐために川岸に沿って何百本もの苗木を植えた。
sapling の類義語・関連語
sapling の語源・成り立ち Etymology
sapling は古英語由来の sap「樹液」に、縮小・若さを表す -ling が付いた語です。sappy や sapwood も同じ sap を含み、語の芯は「汁気のある若いもの」。樹液をたっぷり抱えた“まだ育ちきらない木”だと考えると、苗木の意味が見えます。
Sapling is built from sap, an Old English word for plant juice, and the suffix -ling, which often suggests something small or young. The basic idea is "a young thing full of sap." From that image, the word came to mean a young tree. Related words include sappy and sapwood.
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