seed

1 of 2

noun

ˈsēd 

plural seed or seeds

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 (such 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 (such 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

seeded

ˈsē-dəd 

adjective

seedless

ˈsēd-ləs 

adjective

seedlike

ˈsēd-ˌlīk 

adjective

seed

2 of 2

verb

seeded; seeding; seeds

intransitive verb

1

: to bear or shed seed

2

: to sow seed : plant

transitive verb

1

a

: to plant seeds in : sow

seed a lawn with grass

b

: to furnish with something that causes or stimulates growth or development

c

: inoculate

d

: to supply with nuclei (as of crystallization or condensation)

especially : to treat (a cloud) with solid particles to convert water droplets into ice crystals in an attempt to produce precipitation

e

: to cover or permeate by or as if by scattering something

seeded [the] sea-lanes with thousands of magnetic mines

—Otto Friedrich

2

: plant sense 1a

3

: to extract the seeds from (fruit)

4

a

: to schedule (tournament players or teams) so that superior ones will not meet in early rounds

b

: to rank (a contestant) relative to others in a tournament on the basis of previous record

the top-seeded tennis star

Phrases

go to seed or run to seed

1

: to develop seed

2

: decay, deteriorate

Did you know?

Do you cede or seed control?

Cede means "to yield or grant typically by treaty." Most of the verb senses of seed are concerned with planting seeds (either literal, as of plants, or figuratively, as of ideas). However, the word may also be used to mean "to schedule (tournament players or teams) so that superior ones will not meet in early rounds." If you relinquish or yield something you are ceding it, and if you are organizing the participants in a tournament you are seeding them.

Synonyms

Noun

• fountainhead
• germ
• origin
• root
• seedbed

Verb

• drill
• plant
• put in
• sow

Examples of seed in a Sentence

Noun

a packet of sunflower seeds

He planted the seeds three inches apart.

She raked the grass seed into the soil.

The top seed won the tournament.

Our team is the number one seed.

She is ranked as the third seed.

Verb

We seeded the field with corn.

These plants will seed late in the fall.

After you wash and seed the peppers you can chop them.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The food activist, who's in his 70s, already has shelves full of prestigious awards honoring his efforts to preserve the seeds of endangered crop varieties around the globe. —Dan Charles, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024

After more than a month of negotiations, Haiti’s new governance structure has finally been established and members of a new presidential council have been named, though some observers are concerned that the seeds of the next crisis may be taking root. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

Torrey Pines will host Poway next week, play in a loaded Redondo Union tournament this weekend and then most likely get the top seed in the Open Division with Cathedral Catholic, Del Norte and the Titans at their heels. —Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024

This was borne out with France’s answer to OpenAI, Mistral, which knocked investors off guard with a $113 million seed round, the largest in European history, just a matter of weeks after the company’s launch. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 16 Apr. 2024

The seeds for the latter’s reunion were planted at the annual Musack benefit in Hancock Park last year. —Daniel Kohn, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024

In the first phase of funding, up to 30 seed grants will be rewarded during Climate Week NYC in September, the fund said. —Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024

Should the Kings win both games, then the first round of the playoffs against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder will be televised both nationally and locally on NBC Sports California, as was the case last year, and viewers will be able to watch their favorite TV personalities again this season. —Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024

Burns has embodied the never-say-die attitude NC State has continuously displayed in this year’s tournament, beating the No. 6 and No. 2 seed as well as Duke along the way. —Ben Morse, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024

Verb

But seeds seven to ten compete in a play-in tournament to determine who takes the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in the official playoff bracket. —Trisha Garcia-Easto, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024

Secondly, seeding operations tend to take place in the east of the country, far from more populated areas like Dubai. —Amit Katwala, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024

In what should be a thrilling end to the season, the Pelicans will travel to Golden State before ending their campaign at home to the Lakers, while the Suns’ final two games are away versus the Kings and the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. —Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

Both winners leaned heavily on favorites as the title games featured meetings between teams seeded No. 1 in their region. —Randall Williams, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

One $25-million donation seeded the $65-million development of a six-story, 80,000-square-feet building with classrooms, study rooms, an event space and a cafe. —Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

North Carolina State is more experienced on this stage, historically, even if they were seeded No. 11 this year to Purdue’s No. 1. —NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024

Start cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and melons in large pots now for transplant in a few weeks, or seed them directly in the ground toward the end of the month. —Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024

With the playoffs looming and seeding up for grabs, there certainly should be. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Phrases Containing seed

• bad seed
• canary seed
• chia seed
• fern seed
• go to seed
• grow (plants) from seed
• plant/sow a seed of
• poppy seed
• run to seed
• seed capital
• seed coat
• seed fern
• seed itself
• seed leaf
• seed money
• seed oyster
• seed pearl
• seed plant
• seed pod
• seed potato
• seed/seeds of one's own destruction
• seed stock
• seed tick

Kids Definition

seed

1 of 2 noun

ˈsēd 

plural seed or seeds

1

a

: the grains of plants used for sowing

b

: a fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant that contains an embryo and is capable of producing a new plant

also : a plant structure (as a spore or small dry fruit) capable of producing a new plant

c

: semen

also : milt

2

: the children of one individual

the seed of David

3

: something from which growth takes place : germ

4

: a competitor who has been seeded in a tournament

the top seed

seed adjective

seeded

-əd 

adjective

seedlike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

seed

2 of 2 verb

1

: to produce or shed seeds

weeds that seed freely

2

: to plant seeds in : sow

seed a lawn with grass

3

: to treat (a cloud) with solid particles to convert water droplets into ice crystals in an attempt to produce rain

4

: to remove seeds from

5

: to rank (a player or team) in a tournament on the basis of previous record

was seeded second in the state tournament

Medical Definition

seed

1 of 3 noun

ˈsēd 

plural seed or seeds

1

a

: 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 see seed tick

2

: a small usually glass and gold or platinum capsule used as a container for a radioactive substance (as radium or radon) to be applied usually interstitially in the treatment of cancer

implantation of radon seeds for bladder cancer

seed

2 of 3 intransitive verb

: to bear or shed seed

transitive verb

1

: to furnish with something that causes or stimulates growth or development

2

: inoculate

3

: to supply with nuclei (as of crystallization or condensation)

seed

3 of 3 adjective

1

: selected or used to produce a new crop or stock

seed virus

2

: left or saved for breeding

a seed population