seed

1 of 2

noun

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
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 adjective
seedless adjective
seedlike 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
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 minesOtto Friedrich
2
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

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.

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 four-team pod also includes No. 6 seed Antelope Valley and No. 11 seed Huntington of Indiana. San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 The Bears have the best player on the floor, Jaylon Tyson, but the Cardinal has more good players and has more talent than the No. 10 seed suggests. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 The reservoir was low, the yucca plants were going to seed, and discarded Starbucks cups blew across the road like tumbleweed. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 If left undisturbed, these flowers will go to seed, resulting in kelly-green-toned small berries. Carly Westerfield, Bon Appétit, 9 Mar. 2024 The team entered the playoffs last fall as the top seed in the Western Conference table but lost in the conference final to rival Phoenix Rising FC, the No. 6 seed, which went on to win the league championship. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 This relational mismatch can also lead to lower fertilization rates for plants leading to fewer seeds produced. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024 Many rice cultivars are named for the female ancestors who escaped and carried seeds off plantations in their hair. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024 If the seeds hold, Archbishop Riordan will be waiting in the championship game. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
As the pandemic has made apparent, our world is connected via pathogens: Large outbreaks in other countries, where vaccination coverage may be low, have a tendency to seed tiny outbreaks in the U.S., where coverage has been pretty high, but narrow and persistent cracks in our defenses still remain. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 The proxy battles were seeded in Disney’s struggles last year. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The teams seeded six through 10 the Warriors are competing with are the Mavericks, Suns, Kings and Lakers. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile Miami, currently seeded sixth in the East, drop to 35-27. Sam Joseph, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 As the Ukrainians took casualties they became increasingly outnumbered by the Russians assaulting the city, who broke through at two strategic points and quickly seeded areas with fighters. Oleksandr Chubko Lynsey Addario, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The jagged vectors of her playing bring to mind exploding suns seeding new worlds. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2024 San Diego State tries to avoid the letdown after the last bye week, a look at seeding possibilities, Jaedon LeDee chases national honors, and an undefeated home season Facebook Show more sharing options The JAM Center practice facility has two courts and eight baskets. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024 Salesian was 33-0 and seeded No. 1 in the Open in 2019, the Richmond school’s last appearance in the state’s top division. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of seed was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near seed

Cite this Entry

“Seed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seed. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

seed

1 of 2 noun
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 adjective
seedlike 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
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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on seed

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