Forms: 4 borgoune, burioune, -wne, 4–5 burion, 4–6 burgone, -own, -oyne, -yn(e, 5 burryn, 6 borgeon, 4–7 burgen(e, 5–7 burgein(e (also poet. in 9), -in(e, -inne, -ion(e, bourgen(e, 7–9 bourgeon, 4– burgeon. [f. prec. sb. Cf. F. bourgeonner.]
1. intr. To bud or sprout; to begin to grow.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1042. Þay, borgounez & beres blomez ful fayre.
1382. Wyclif, Numb. xvii. 8. The ȝerde of Aaron … hadde buriowned.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 391/3. To burgene and brynge forth fruyte more plenteously.
1584. Peele, Arraignm. Paris, I. iii. (1829), 10. The watery flowers burgen all in ranks.
1650. Bp. Hall, Balm Gil., 79. When the Sun returnes … it burgens out afresh.
1721. Bailey, Burgeon, to grow big about or gross, to bud forth.
1775. Ash, Burgein, Burgeon (v. intr. obsolete).
1810. Scott, Lady of L., II. xix. Earth lend it sap anew, Gaily to bourgeon, and broadly to grow.
1814. Cary, Dante (Chandos), 209. Our plants then burgein.
1850. Tennyson, In Mem., cxv. 2. Now burgeons every maze of quick About the flowering squares.
b. transf. Of the limbs or appendages of animals. Formerly also of animals and diseases.
1382. Wyclif, Lev. xiii. 29. Man or womman, in whos heed or beerde boriouneth a lepre.
1536. Bellenden, Cron. Scot. (1821), II. 326. Thir eddaris … burgeon with mair plentuous nowmer than evir was sene.
1566. Adlington, Apuleius, 31. I perceaved a plume feathers did burgen out.
1774. Goldsmith, Nat. Hist. (1862), II. I. ii. 380. Two small feet are seen beginning to bourgeon near the tail.
1827. Scott, Napoleon (1835), II. 390. A hydra whose heads bourgeoned … as fast as they were cut off.
c. fig. To bud, burst forth; to grow, flourish.
1382. Wyclif, Prov. xiv. 11. The tabernaclis of riȝtwis men shal burioune.
1531. Elyot, Gov., I. xiii. (1883), I. 132. Learning … sowen in a childe … springeth and burgeneth.
1641. Milton, Animadv. (1851), 195. The Prelatism of Episcopacy … began then to burgeon.
1848. Kingsley, Saint’s Trag., III. i. 33. Beneath whose fragrant dews all tender thoughts Might bud and burgeon.
2. trans. To shoot out, put forth as buds. Also with out, forth. Also transf. and fig.
1382. Wyclif, Gen. iii. 18. It shal buriown to thee thornes and brembles.
c. 1400. Beryn, 692. The busshis burgyn out blosomis, & flouris.
1596. Lodge, Marg. Amer., 22. Love … had newe burgend his wings.
c. 1820. Surtees, in Taylor, Life (1852), 288. This goodly graft … bourgeon’d forth its flowers and leaf.
