I. ˈsēd noun
( 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 seed s 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
II. verb
Date: 14th century
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
seed ed [the] sea-lanes with thousands of magnetic mines — Otto Friedrich
2. : plant 1a
3. : to extract the seeds from (as raisins)
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