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: progeny3: 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 size5: 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 seed2: decay, deteriorate