Shoots

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ʃuːts/

Definitions

1. To discharge a weapon or projectile ; to capture images or videos using a camera ; to produce new stems or growth on a plant
2. To cause a bullet or arrow to be propelled forward ; to create visual content by filming or photographing ; to extend new growth from a plant's base
3. To launch a missile or similar object ; to conduct a photo or film session ; to send out fresh shoots or sprigs from a plant

Etymology: The noun "shoots" is simply the plural of "shoot," so the more useful story is the verb's. Its ancestor, Old English "sċēotan," meant to hurl or propel something, and the sense of firing a missile came later and narrowed from there. The same root gives German "schießen," Dutch "schieten," and Swedish "skjuta," all still meaning to shoot, which shows how old and stable the core idea is across the Germanic languages. The sense of a plant sprouting comes from the same motion of thrusting forward. A new stem pushes out of the ground or a branch the way a projectile leaves a bow, so the image of rapid forward movement carried over to growth. The plural "shoots" thus names the green sprigs that dart up from seed or stump.

Synonyms: sprouts, buds

Antonyms: roots