ébourgeonner

Senses

1. 1.

   to remove buds or shoots

   to prune or strip buds (especially from vines or trees) to direct growth

2. 2.

   to debud; to thin out shoots

   horticultural technique of removing unwanted buds to improve fruit or flower production

Examples

• "Le vigneron ébourgeonne les ceps au printemps pour favoriser une meilleure récolte."

  The vintner removes buds from the vine stocks in spring to promote a better harvest.

• "Il faut ébourgeonner les rosiers pour qu'ils produisent plus de fleurs."

  You must remove the buds from the rosebushes so they produce more flowers.

• "L'arboriculteur ébourgeonne les jeunes arbres fruitiers."

  The fruit grower thins out buds on young fruit trees.

Usage

A specialized horticultural and viticulture term. Regular -er verb. Also used metaphorically in older literary French. The prefix é- often indicates removal, and bourgeon = bud/shoot.