Rebento vs. botão vs. broto vs. gomo
In Portuguese, the words rebento, botão, broto, and gomo all relate to plant growth, but they refer to different stages of development or parts of the plant. While they can sometimes be interchangeable as general terms for new growth, they possess distinct botanical definitions and specific figurative meanings outside of gardening.
Rebento
C1This word refers to a new shoot or stem springing from the root or branch of a plant. Unlike the others, rebento has a very strong figurative meaning in literature and formal speech, where it is frequently used to refer to a human child or offspring.
O jardineiro podou o rebento que nascia na base da árvore.
(The gardener pruned the shoot that was growing at the base of the tree.)
O casal estava feliz com o nascimento do seu primeiro rebento.
(The couple was happy with the birth of their first child.)
Mesmo após o incêndio, um pequeno rebento verde surgiu nas cinzas.
(Even after the fire, a small green shoot appeared in the ashes.)
Botão
A2Botanically, this specifically means a flower bud—the round, enclosed casing before the flower blooms. However, botão is also the standard word for a clothing button or a push-button on an electronic device, derived from the round shape of a flower bud.
O botão da rosa vai abrir amanhã de manhã.
(The rose bud will open tomorrow morning.)
Preciso costurar o botão que caiu da minha camisa.
(I need to sew the button that fell off my shirt.)
As flores ainda estão em botão, mas logo chegará a primavera.
(The flowers are still in bud, but spring will arrive soon.)
Broto
B2This is the most common term for a sprout or the very first stage of germination. It implies something that has just broken through the seed or branch. It is also the word used in culinary contexts for edible sprouts, such as bean sprouts.
Coloquei brotos de feijão na salada para dar uma textura crocante.
(I put bean sprouts in the salad to give it a crunchy texture.)
A batata esqueceu na despensa e agora está cheia de brotos.
(The potato was forgotten in the pantry and is now full of sprouts.)
O broto cortou a terra buscando a luz do sol.
(The sprout cut through the soil seeking the sunlight.)
Gomo
B1Botanically, this refers to a node or the small swelling on a stem from which leaves or branches grow. However, in daily life, gomo is most famously used to describe the segments of citrus fruits (like oranges or tangerines) or the sections of a bamboo stem.
Você pode me dar um gomo da sua tangerina?
(Can you give me a segment of your tangerine?)
Para fazer o enxerto, você precisa de um galho com pelo menos um gomo.
(To do the grafting, you need a branch with at least one bud.)
O bambu cresce dividido em vários gomos.
(Bamboo grows divided into several sections.)
Summary
To distinguish them: use botão for an unopened flower or a clothing button. Use broto for the initial germination or edible sprouts. Use rebento for a vigorous new shoot or poetically for a child. Use gomo for the specific node on a stem or a segment of an orange.