[ra.toon] n [Sp retono, fr. retonar to sprout, fr. re- (fr. L) + otonar to grow in autumn, fr. otono autumn, fr. L autumnus] (1631) 1: a shoot of a perennial plant (as sugarcane)
2: a crop (as of bananas) produced on ratoons
[2]ratoon vi (1756): to sprout or spring up from the root ~ vt: to grow or produce (a crop) from or on ratoons