ratoon /ɹəˈtuːn/noun 2verb 2forms 3 noun2 •A shoot sprouting from the root of a cropped plant, especially sugar cane.Ratoons, probably so named from a corruption of the Spanish word brotones, are suckers and sprouts, that spring from the roots of canes that have previously been cut down. — 1803 •A rattan cane.Mr. Hawley did give me a little black rattoon, painted and gilt. — 1660 verb2 •To sprout ratoons.In the sugar areas to the north and south of the Colony cane has been known to "ratoon" for 20 to 30 years. — 1893 •To cut a plant, especially sugar cane, so that it will produce ratoons.Attempts to propagate them by cuttings (of flowering shoots) and to ratoon the old plants in the greenhouse in November were unsuccessful. — 1969 formsratooned · ratooning · ratoons
