Basic Details
Word: Offshoot
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Something that grows out of or develops from something larger, such as a side stem of a plant or a small group that comes from a bigger one.
Synonyms: branch, spin-off, by-product, outgrowth
Antonyms: source, origin
How to Spell Offshoot
Syllables: off - shoot
Tricky part: It is one word with two f's from off and two o's from shoot. Students drop an f or one of the o's.
Watch out for: ofshoot, offshute, offshoote
Memory tip: Off + shoot: a shoot that grows off the main stem. Keep both words whole and close the gap.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A small offshoot of the rose bush was planted in a pot by the window.
Example 2: The dance school is an offshoot of a famous academy in Chennai.
Example 3: This new magazine is an offshoot of the school newspaper.
Fun Fact
The Great Banyan in the botanical garden at Howrah lost its main trunk in 1925, yet it lives on through thousands of aerial roots and covers nearly two hectares.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these compound words is spelt correctly. Choose it:
a) outbrake
b) overflo
c) offshoot
d) undergrouth
Show answer
c) offshoot. The others should be outbreak, overflow and undergrowth; offshoot joins off and shoot without a change.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word offshoot as used in the sentence:
The new political party was formed as an offshoot of an older one.
a) origin
b) ending
c) branch
d) rival
Show answer
c) branch. The new party grew out of the older one, just as a branch grows out of a tree.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
offshoote
a) e
b) h
c) t
d) s
Show answer
a) e. Shoot ends in t; the e belongs to words like route, not this one.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a garden, an offshoot is ____.
a) a side shoot of a plant
b) a flower pot
c) a kind of soil
d) a garden tool
Show answer
a) a side shoot of a plant
2. If a group is an offshoot of a bigger organisation, it ____.
a) is older than it
b) owns it
c) came out of it
d) is against it
Show answer
c) came out of it
