Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
SPAWN
I. verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French espandre to spread out, shed, scatter, spawn, from Latin expandere to expand
Date: 15th century
intransitive verb to deposit or fertilize spawn, to produce young especially in large numbers, transitive verb
1. to produce or deposit (eggs), to induce (fish) to spawn, to plant with mushroom spawn, bring forth , generate , spawner noun
II. noun
Date: 15th century
the eggs of aquatic animals (as fishes or oysters) that lay many small eggs, product , offspring , the seed, germ, or source of something, mycelium especially prepared (as in bricks) for propagating mushrooms