seed

seed (s

n. pl. seeds or seed

1. A ripened plant ovule containing an embryo.

2. A propagative part of a plant, as a tuber or spore.

3. Seeds considered as a group.

4. The seed-bearing stage of a plant.

5. Something that resembles a seed, as a tiny bubble in a piece of glass.

a. A small amount of material used to start a chemical reaction.

b. A small crystal used to start a crystallization process.

7. Medicine A form of a radioactive isotope that is used to localize and concentrate the amount of radiation administered to a body site, such as a tumor.

8. A source or beginning; a germ.

9. Offspring; progeny.

10. Family stock; ancestry.

11. Sperm; semen.

12. A seed oyster or oysters; spat.

13. Sports A player who has been seeded for a tournament, often at a given rank: a top seed.

v. seed·ed, seed·ing, seeds

v.tr.

1. To plant seeds in (land, for example); sow.

2. To plant in soil.

3. To remove the seeds from (fruit).

4. To furnish with something that grows or stimulates growth or development: a bioreactor seeded with bacteria.

5. Medicine To cause (cells or a tumor, for example) to grow or multiply.

6. Meteorology To sprinkle (a cloud) with particles, as of silver iodide, in order to disperse it or to produce precipitation.

7. Sports

a. To arrange (the drawing for positions in a tournament) so that the more skilled contestants meet in the later rounds.

b. To rank (a contestant) in this way.

8. To help (a business, for example) in its early development.

v.intr.

1. To sow seed.

2. To go to seed.

3. Medicine To grow or multiply, as a tumor.

adj.

1. Set aside for planting a new crop: seed corn; seed wheat.

2. Intended to help in early stages: provided seed capital for a fledgling business.

Idiom:

go/run to seed

1. To pass into the seed-bearing stage.

2. To become weak or devitalized; deteriorate: The old neighborhood has gone to seed.

[Middle English, from Old English sd, sd; see s- in Indo-European roots.]

seed

Noun

1. Bot the mature fertilized grain of a plant, containing an embryo ready for germination Related adjective seminal

2. such seeds used for sowing

3. the source, beginning, or origin of anything: the seeds of dissent

4. Chiefly Bible descendants; offspring: the seed of David

5. Sport a player ranked according to his or her ability

6. go or run to seed

a. (of plants) to produce and shed seeds after flowering

b. to lose strength or usefulness

Verb

1. to plant (seeds) in (soil)

2. (of plants) to produce or shed seeds

3. to remove the seeds from (fruit or plants)

4. to scatter silver iodide in (clouds) in order to cause rain

5. to arrange (the draw of a tournament) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds [Old English sǣd]

seedless adj

seed (s

Noun

A mature fertilized ovule of angiosperms and gymnosperms that contains an embryo and the food it will need to grow into a new plant. Seeds provide a great reproductive advantage in being able to survive for extended periods until conditions are favorable for germination and growth. The seeds of gymnosperms (such as the conifers) develop on scales of cones or similar structures, while the seeds of angiosperms are enclosed in an ovary that develops into a fruit, such as a pome or nut. The structure of seeds varies somewhat. All seeds are enclosed in a protective seed coat. In certain angiosperms the embryo is enclosed in or attached to an endosperm, a tissue that it uses as a food source either before or during germination. All angiosperm embryos also have at least one cotyledon. The first seed-bearing plants emerged at least 365 million years ago in the late Devonian Period. Many angiosperms have evolved specific fruits for dispersal of seeds by the wind, water, or animals. See more at germination ovule

Verb

1. To plant seeds in soil.

2. To initiate rainfall or to generate additional rainfall by artificially increasing the precipitation efficiency of clouds. See more at cloud seeding.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	seed - a small hard fruit edible seed - many are used as seasoning coffee bean, coffee berry, coffee - a seed of the coffee tree; ground to make coffee pip - a small hard seed found in some fruits bonduc nut, nicker nut, nicker seed - hard shiny grey seed of a bonduc tree; used for making e.g. jewelry Job's tears - hard pearly seeds of an Asiatic grass; often used as beads oil-rich seed, oilseed - any of several seeds that yield oil safflower seed - seed of the safflower caryopsis, grain - dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn ash-key - winged seed of the ash tree coquilla nut - nut having a hard hazel-brown shell used like vegetable ivory babassu nut - hard-shelled nut of the babassu palm cohune nut - nut of the cohune palm having hard white shells like those of ivory nuts apple nut, ivory nut, vegetable ivory - nutlike seed of a South American palm; the hard white shell takes a high polish and is used for e.g. buttons neem seed - seed of neem trees; source of pesticides and fertilizer and medicinal products buckeye, conker, horse chestnut - the inedible nutlike seed of the horse chestnut jumping bean, jumping seed, Mexican jumping bean - seed of Mexican shrubs of the genus Sebastiana containing the larva of a moth whose movements cause the bean to jerk or tumble fruit - the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant bean - any of various seeds or fruits that are beans or resemble beans nut - usually large hard-shelled seed kernel, meat - the inner and usually edible part of a seed or grain or nut or fruit stone; "black walnut kernels are difficult to get out of the shell"
	2.	seed - a mature fertilized plant ovule consisting of an embryo and its food source and having a protective coat or testa ovule - a small body that contains the female germ cell of a plant; develops into a seed after fertilization episperm, seed coat, testa - protective outer layer of seeds of flowering plants endosperm - nutritive tissue surrounding the embryo within seeds of flowering plants pericarp, seed vessel - the ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary
	3.	seed - one of the outstanding players in a tournament seeded player player, participant - a person who participates in or is skilled at some game
	4.	seed - anything that provides inspiration for later work germ, source inspiration - arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity taproot - something that provides an important central source for growth or development; "the taproot of his resentment"; "genius and insanity spring from the same taproot" muse - the source of an artist's inspiration; "Euterpe was his muse"
	5.	seed - the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract come, cum, ejaculate, semen, seminal fluid milt - seminal fluid produced by male fish bodily fluid, body fluid, liquid body substance, humour, humor - the liquid parts of the body sperm, sperm cell, spermatozoan, spermatozoon - the male reproductive cell; the male gamete; "a sperm is mostly a nucleus surrounded by little other cellular material"
Verb	1.	seed - go to seed; shed seeds; "The dandelions went to seed" reseed - seed again or anew disgorge, shed, spill - cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over; "spill the beans all over the table"
	2.	seed - help (an enterprise) in its early stages of development by providing seed money finance - obtain or provide money for; "Can we finance the addition to our home?"
	3.	seed - bear seeds bear, turn out - bring forth, "The apple tree bore delicious apples this year"; "The unidentified plant bore gorgeous flowers"
	4.	seed - place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth; "She sowed sunflower seeds" sow farming, husbandry, agriculture - the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock lay, place, put, set, position, pose - put into a certain place or abstract location; "Put your things here"; "Set the tray down"; "Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children"; "Place emphasis on a certain point" broadcast - sow over a wide area, especially by hand; "broadcast seeds" inseminate, sow in, sow - place seeds in or on (the ground); "sow the ground with sunflower seeds" inseminate, sow in, sow - place seeds in or on (the ground); "sow the ground with sunflower seeds" scatter - sow by scattering; "scatter seeds"
	5.	seed - distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds athletics, sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition grade, rate, rank, place, range, order - assign a rank or rating to; "how would you rank these students?"; "The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide"
	6.	seed - sprinkle with silver iodide particles to disperse and cause rain; "seed clouds" process, treat - subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition; "process cheese"; "process hair"; "treat the water so it can be drunk"; "treat the lawn with chemicals" ; "treat an oil spill"
	7.	seed - inoculate with microorganisms inoculate - introduce a microorganism into
	8.	seed - remove the seeds from; "seed grapes" remove, take away, withdraw, take - remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract; "remove a threat"; "remove a wrapper"; "Remove the dirty dishes from the table"; "take the gun from your pocket"; "This machine withdraws heat from the environment"

seed

noun 1. grain, pip, germ, kernel, egg, embryo, spore, ovum, egg cell, ovule

noun 2. beginning, start, suspicion, germ, inkling

noun 3. origin, source, nucleus

noun 4. chiefly Bible offspring, children, descendants, issue, race, successors, heirs, spawn, progeny, scions go or run to seed decline, deteriorate, degenerate, decay, go downhill (informal) go to waste, go to pieces, let yourself go, go to pot, go to rack and ruin, retrogress

Translations