What does transplanting mean?
Transplanting means establishing a plant in a new place or transferring living tissue or an organ from one body or location to another. In horticulture and gardening, it refers to moving young plants so that they can grow in a more suitable site. In medicine, it describes procedures in which an organ, such as a kidney or liver, is transferred into a recipient’s body. Biological research also uses the word when cells or tissues are moved into a new environment for study. The term is generally neutral, although its medical use is more technical and consequential than its everyday agricultural use. Etymologically, it comes through Latin transplantare, formed from trans-, meaning “across,” and plantare, meaning “to plant.” The word therefore reflects the idea of taking something from one place and putting it into another, a meaning that extends naturally from moving plants to transferring organs.
To move a plant from one place and plant it elsewhere, or to transfer an organ or tissue from one body or location to another.
"The surgeon was transplanting healthy tissue into the patient’s hand."
This is the present participle or gerund form of “transplant.”
The act of moving and planting a plant elsewhere, or of transferring an organ or tissue from one body or location to another.
"The transplanting of young trees took place during the dormant season."
As a noun, it is most often used in phrases containing “of,” such as “the transplanting of organs.”
The same word that describes moving seedlings into fresh soil also describes giving someone a new organ: in both cases, something established in one place is carefully relocated to another.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does transplanting come from?
“Transplanting” was formed by adding the present-participle and gerund suffix -ing to “transplant.” “Transplant” comes from Latin transplantare, combining trans-, meaning “across,” with plantare, meaning “to plant.” The Latin verb originally referred to planting or moving a plant elsewhere, while the medical sense developed much later through the analogy of transferring an organ or tissue from one body to another.
Related word forms
How transplanting is actually used
As a verb form, “transplanting” normally functions as a present participle or gerund and usually takes an object, as in “transplanting seedlings.” As a noun, it is most natural in constructions such as “the transplanting of organs,” while the bare form is uncommon in formal prose.
Easily confused with transplanting
Transporting generally means moving people, goods, or materials from one place to another, whereas transplanting specifically involves establishing a plant elsewhere or transferring living tissue or an organ.