godan verb (-mu), intransitive verb
to bud; to be in bud
Archaic verb for a plant forming buds. In modern Japanese, the noun 蕾 (つぼみ) with がつく or になる is used instead.
古歌に「桜が蕾む頃」とある。
An old poem says, 'when the cherry blossoms are budding.'
現
In modern times, 'tsubomu' is hardly used; people say 'tsubomi ga tsuku' instead.