seed

[ seed ]

/ sid /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR seed ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural seeds, (especially collectively) seed.

the fertilized, matured ovule of a flowering plant, containing an embryo or rudimentary plant.

any propagative part of a plant, including tubers, bulbs, etc., especially as preserved for growing a new crop.

such parts collectively.

any similar small part or fruit.

Dialect. pit².

the germ or propagative source of anything: the seeds of discord.

offspring; progeny.

birth: not of mortal seed.

sperm; semen.

the ovum or ova of certain animals, as the lobster and the silkworm moth.

seed oyster.

a small air bubble in a glass piece, caused by defective firing.

Crystallography, Chemistry. a small crystal added to a solution to promote crystallization.

Tennis. a player who has been seeded in a tournament.

verb (used with object)

to sow (a field, lawn, etc.) with seed.

to sow or scatter (seed).

to sow or scatter (clouds) with crystals or particles of silver iodide, solid carbon dioxide, etc., to induce precipitation.

to place, introduce, etc., especially in the hope of increase or profit: to seed a lake with trout.

to sprinkle on (a surface, substance, etc.) in the manner of seed: to seed an icy bridge with chemicals.

to remove the seeds from (fruit).

Sports.

to arrange (the drawings for positions in a tournament) so that ranking players or teams will not meet in the early rounds of play.
to distribute (ranking players or teams) in this manner.

to develop or stimulate (a business, project, etc.), especially by providing operating capital.

verb (used without object)

to sow seed.

to produce or shed seed.

adjective

of or producing seed; used for seed: a seed potato.

being or providing capital for the initial stages of a new business or other enterprise: The research project began with seed donations from the investors.

Idioms for seed

go/run to seed,

(of the flower of a plant) to pass to the stage of yielding seed.
to lose vigor, power, or prosperity; deteriorate: He has gone to seed in the last few years.

in seed,

(of certain plants) in the state of bearing ripened seeds.
(of a field, a lawn, etc.) sown with seed.

Origin of seed

before 900; (noun) Middle English sede, side, seed(e), Old English sēd, sǣd; cognate with German Saat, Old Norse sāth, Gothic -seths; (v.) Middle English seden to produce seeds, derivative of the noun; akin to sow 1

SYNONYMS FOR seed

7 descendants, heirs, posterity, issue, scions.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR seed ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM seed

seed·less, adjective seed·less·ness, noun seed·like, adjective de·seed, verb (used with object)

o·ver·seed, verb re·seed, verb un·der·seed·ed, adjective un·seed·ed, adjective un·seed·ing, adjective well-seed·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH seed

cede concede secede seed recede reseed

Words nearby seed

see-bee, see-through, seebeck, seebeck effect, seecatch, seed, seed beetle, seed capital, seed capsule, seed coat, seed coral

Example sentences from the Web for seed

Famously, Ted Turner in 1997 founded the United Nations Foundation with a generous $1 billion in seed money.

How Does Zuckerberg’s Ebola Pledge Measure Up To Other Bigwig Donations? |Nina Strochlic |October 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He said he hoped their “shed blood [would] act as a seed of hope in order to build authentic brotherhood among peoples.”

Catholic Nuns Aiding Africa's Battered Wives Are Raped and Murdered |Barbie Latza Nadeau |September 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
When you were setting out to work on The Giver, what planted the seed for this dark, utopian society?

A Trailblazer in YA Dystopian Fiction: An Interview With 'The Giver' Author Lois Lowry |Marianne Hayes |August 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
To hear Cianci tell it, in the last 13 years Providence is a city that has gone to seed.

Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again? |David Freedlander |June 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

I remember next being a seed, and going through each stage of evolution.

Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction |Abby Haglage |May 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They are easily raised in spring from seed, and the perennials may be increased by cuttings placed under glass, or by division.

Gardening for the Million |Alfred Pink
The docks have almost gone to seed; and their roots go deeper than conscience.

Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor |Various
Shakspeare and the poets sowed the seed, which Newton and the philosophers reaped.

History of Civilization in England, Vol. 3 of 3 |Henry Thomas Buckle
The hollyhocks and roses that Prue wants do not bloom the first year from seed.

A Little Garden Calendar for Boys and Girls |Albert Bigelow Paine
Hit's forty mile ter thet school, an' mebby they're full up—but I've done been over thar an' seed hit.

When 'Bear Cat' Went Dry |Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for seed (1 of 2)

seed

/ (siːd) /

noun

botany a mature fertilized plant ovule, consisting of an embryo and its food store surrounded by a protective seed coat (testa) Related adjective: seminal

the small hard seedlike fruit of plants such as wheat

(loosely) any propagative part of a plant, such as a tuber, spore, or bulb

such parts collectively

the source, beginning, or germ of anything the seeds of revolt

mainly Bible offspring or descendants the seed of Abraham

an archaic or dialect term for sperm 1, semen

sport a seeded player

the egg cell or cells of the lobster and certain other animals

See seed oyster

chem a small crystal added to a supersaturated solution or supercooled liquid to induce crystallization

go to seed or run to seed

(of plants) to produce and shed seeds
to lose vigour, usefulness, etc

verb

to plant (seeds, grain, etc) in (soil) we seeded this field with oats

(intr) (of plants) to form or shed seeds

(tr) to remove the seeds from (fruit, etc)

(tr) chem to add a small crystal to (a supersaturated solution or supercooled liquid) in order to cause crystallization

(tr) to scatter certain substances, such as silver iodide, in (clouds) in order to cause rain

(tr)

to arrange (the draw of a tournament) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds
to distribute (players or teams) in this manner

Derived forms of seed

seedlike, adjective seedless, adjective

Word Origin for seed

Old English sǣd; related to Old Norse sāth, Gothic sēths, Old High German sāt

British Dictionary definitions for seed (2 of 2)

SEED

abbreviation for

Scottish Executive Education Department

Medical definitions for seed

seed

[ sēd ]

n.

A ripened plant ovule that contains an embryo.

A propagative part of a plant, such as a tuber or a spore.

Sperm; semen.

A pellet filled with a radioactive isotope that is implanted at the site of a cancerous tumor to provide localized administration of radiation.

v.

To inoculate a culture medium with microorganisms.

Scientific definitions for seed

seed

[ sēd ]

Noun

A mature fertilized ovule of angiosperms and gymnosperms that contains an embryo and the food it will need to grow into a new plant. Seeds provide a great reproductive advantage in being able to survive for extended periods until conditions are favorable for germination and growth. The seeds of gymnosperms (such as the conifers) develop on scales of cones or similar structures, while the seeds of angiosperms are enclosed in an ovary that develops into a fruit, such as a pome or nut. The structure of seeds varies somewhat. All seeds are enclosed in a protective seed coat. In certain angiosperms the embryo is enclosed in or attached to an endosperm, a tissue that it uses as a food source either before or during germination. All angiosperm embryos also have at least one cotyledon. The first seed-bearing plants emerged at least 365 million years ago in the late Devonian Period. Many angiosperms have evolved specific fruits for dispersal of seeds by the wind, water, or animals. See more at germination ovule.

Verb

To plant seeds in soil.

To initiate rainfall or to generate additional rainfall by artificially increasing the precipitation efficiency of clouds. See more at cloud seeding.

Idioms and Phrases with seed

seed

see run to seed.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

seed