spawn
noun
- function that loads and executes a new child process
verb
- appearing or re-appearing of an object or player in a video game
- to produce in large numbers, to give rise to
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /spɔːn/ / /spɔn/ / /spɑn/
name
- A surname.
noun
Etymology: From Middle English spawne, from the verb (see above).
- The numerous eggs of an aquatic organism.
- Mushroom mycelium prepared for (aided) propagation.
- Any germ or seed, even a figurative source.
“This dreadful idea is the spawn of a large business conglomerate.”
- Any germ or seed, even a figurative source.
“Even the blithely unselfconscious Homer is more than a little freaked out by West’s private reverie, and encourages his spawn to move slowly away without making eye contact with the crazy man.”
- The buds or branches produced from underground stems.
- Synonym of spawn point.
verb
Etymology: Recorded since 1413; from Middle English spawnen, from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French espandre, from Latin expandere (“stretch out; spread out”, verb). Doublet of expand. Compare also Middle English spalden, spolden, spawden (“to cut open (a fish)”).
- To produce or deposit (eggs) in water.
“A frog spawns thousands of tadpoles every year.”
- To generate, bring into being, especially nonmammalian beings in very large numbers.
- To bring forth in general.
“The web server spawns a new process to handle each client's request.”
“Weather Underground, a covert organization that spawned countless other would-be revolutionary cadres - the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), the Black Liberation Army, the May 19 Communist Organization each of which”
- To induce (aquatic organisms) to spawn.
- To plant with fungal spawn.
- To deposit (numerous) eggs in water.
“Alewives are anadromous fish: Born in freshwater, they spend their lives in the ocean, returning annually to their birthplaces to spawn.”
- To reproduce, especially in large numbers.
- To appear, or cause (something or someone) to appear, spontaneously in a game world at a particular place and time.
“We put down torches to stop creepers from spawning.”
- To appear, or cause (something or someone) to appear, unexpectedly and seemingly out of nowhere.
“Where did he come from? Bro just spawned in.”
“Mavs fans really be spawning out of nowhere.”
- Of a person or non-egglaying animal: to be born.
“That kid just spawned and looks like he's already done with life.”
“I spawned in Turkey. I wasn't given an option on difficulty. It was automatically set on the hardest.”