(PLANT) [noun] [C] - the first part of a plant to appear above the earth as it develops from a seed, or any new growth on an already existing plantTwo weeks after we'd planted the seeds, little green shoots started to appear.(figurative) The prime minister has commented that the green shoots of economic recovery have started to appear (= that the economy is starting to grow again).
SHOOT
Meaning of SHOOT in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012