I. ra-ˈtün noun
Etymology: Spanish retoño, from retoñar to sprout, from re- (from Latin) + otoñar to grow in autumn, from otoño autumn, from Latin autumnus
Date: 1631
1. : a shoot of a perennial plant (as sugarcane)
2. : a crop (as of bananas) produced on ratoons
II. verb
Date: 1756
intransitive verb
: to sprout or spring up from the root
transitive verb
: to grow or produce (a crop) from or on ratoons