Emily Dickinson Lexicon

GROW, v.i. [pret. grew; pp. grown. Sax. growan; D. groeyen; Dan. groer; Sw. gro, a contracted word; W. crotiaw, crythu, to grow, to swell. This is probably the same word as L. cresco, Russ. rastu, rostu, a dialectical variation of crodh or grodh. The French croître, and Eng. increase, retain the final consonant.]

1. To enlarge in bulk or stature, by a natural, imperceptible addition of matter, through ducts and secreting organs, as animal and vegetable bodies; to vegetate as plants, or to be augmented by natural process, as animals. Thus, a plant grows from a seed to a shrub or tree, and a human being grows from a fetus to a man. He causeth the grass to grow for cattle. Ps. civ.
2. To be produced by vegetation; as, wheat grows in most parts of the world; rice grows only in warm climates.
3. To increase; to be augmented; to wax; as, a body grows larger by inflation or distension; intemperance is a growing evil.
4. To advance; to improve; to make progress; as, to grow in grace, in knowledge, in piety. The young man is growing in reputation.
5. To advance; to extend. His reputation is growing.
6. To come by degrees; to become; to reach any state; as, he grows more skillful, or more prudent. Let not vice grow to a habit, or into a habit.
7. To come forward; to advance. [Not much used.] Winter began to grow fast on. – Knolles.
8. To be changed from one state to another; to become; as, to grow pale; to grow poor; to grow rich.
9. To proceed, as from a cause or reason. Lax morals may grow from errors in opinion.
10. To accrue; to come. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings? – Ezra iv.
11. To swell; to increase; as, the wind grew to a tempest. To grow out of, to issue from; as plants from the soil, or as a branch from the main stem. These wars have grown out of commercial considerations. – Federalist, Hamilton. To grow up, to arrive at manhood, or to advance to full stature or maturity. To grow up, or To grow together, To close and adhere; to become united by growth; as flesh or the bark of a tree severed. Grow signifies, properly, to shoot out, to enlarge; but it is often used to denote a passing from one state to another, and from greater to less. Marriages grow less frequent. – Paley. [To grow less, is an abuse of this word; the phrase should be to become less.]