Main Entry: ¹seed

Pronunciation: \ˈsēd\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural seed or seeds

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English sǣd; akin to Old High German sāt seed, Old English sāwan to sow — more at sow

Date: before 12th century

1 a (1) : the grains or ripened ovules of plants used for sowing (2) : the fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant; broadly : a propagative plant structure (as a spore or small dry fruit) b : a propagative animal structure: (1) : milt, semen (2) : a small egg (as of an insect) (3) : a developmental form of a lower animal suitable for transplanting; specifically : spat c : the condition or stage of bearing seed <in seed>
2 : progeny
3 : a source of development or growth : germ <sowed the seeds of discord>
4 : something (as a tiny particle or a bubble in glass) that resembles a seed in shape or size
5 : a competitor who has been seeded in a tournament <the top seed>

— seed adjective

— seed·ed \ˈsē-dəd\ adjective

— seed·less \ˈsēd-ləs\ adjective

— seed·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— go to seed or run to seed 1 : to develop seed
2 : decay, deteriorate