Regrowth is new growth that appears after something has been cut down, damaged, or destroyed. When a forest is cleared by fire or logging, the trees, bushes, and plants that sprout up afterward are called regrowth. After you mow the lawn, the grass that shoots up over the next week is regrowth. If you cut your fingernails, the new nail that grows is regrowth.

The word captures something hopeful: the natural ability of living things to recover and rebuild. A gardener who prunes a rose bush in spring watches for healthy regrowth. Scientists studying coral reefs damaged by storms monitor regrowth to see if the ecosystem will recover. Hair regrowth after a haircut, forest regrowth after a fire, and grass regrowth after being trampled all show nature's resilience.

Regrowth doesn't just describe the new growth itself. It also suggests the process of renewal and recovery, the way living systems can bounce back from damage or loss.