Meaning

noun the mass of eggs deposited by fish or amphibians or molluscs

verb call forth

verb lay spawn

originRecorded since 1413; from Middle English spawnen, from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French espandre, from Latin expandere (“stretch out; spread out”, verb). Doublet of expand. Compare also Middle English spalden, spolden, spawden (“to cut open (a fish)”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0