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brotar

to sprout

verb broh-TAHR Rare

Origin: From Old Spanish brotar, possibly from Germanic *brustjan, 'to bud'.

Also means

to gush

Usage Note

Brotar describes things bursting forth naturally: plants sprouting (las flores brotan en primavera), water gushing from a spring (brota el agua), or emotions welling up (brotaron las lágrimas). It is intransitive and cannot take a direct object. The noun brote (sprout, outbreak) comes from the same root — un brote de sarampión (a measles outbreak) shows its extended figurative use.

Examples

"Las flores brotan con la llegada de la primavera."

Natural Translation

The flowers sprout with the arrival of spring.

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