seed

I. seed¹ S3 W3 /siːd/ BrE AmE noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: sæd]
1. PLANTS
a) [uncountable and countable] a small hard object produced by plants, from which a new plant of the same kind grows:
a packet of sunflower seeds
plant/sow seeds (=put them in the soil)
Sow the seeds one inch deep in the soil.
grow something from seed
We grew all our tomatoes from seed.
b) [uncountable] a quantity of seeds:
Some of the poorest farmers don’t have enough money to buy seed.
2.
IN FRUIT [countable] American English one of the small hard objects in a fruit such as an apple or orange, from which new fruit trees grow SYN pip British English
3. seeds of something written something that makes a new situation start to grow and develop
seeds of change/victory
The seeds of change in Eastern Europe were beginning to emerge.
seeds of doubt/disaster/destruction etc (=something which makes a bad feeling or situation develop)
Something Lucy said began to sow seeds of doubt in his mind.
4. go/run to seed
a) if a plant or vegetable goes or runs to seed, it starts producing flowers and seeds as well as leaves
b) if someone or something goes or runs to seed, they become less attractive or good, especially because they are getting old and have not been properly looked after:
The old central bus station is going to seed.
5. number one/two/three etc seed [countable] a player or team in a competition that is given a particular position, according to how likely they are to win:
He’s been top seed for the past two years.
6. SEX [uncountable] biblical ↑semen or ↑sperm – often used humorously
7. FAMILY [uncountable] biblical the group of people who have a particular person as their father, grandfather etc, especially when they form a particular race
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ plant/sow seeds (=put them in the soil) Sow the seeds in trays or pots.
▪ grow something from seed (=grow a plant from a seed rather than buying it as a small plant) You can grow most vegetables from seed.
▪ seeds germinate (=start to grow) The seeds should start to germinate after a few days.
■ NOUN + seed
▪ flower/sunflower/tomato etc seeds I bought a packet of poppy seeds.
▪ grass seed You can sprinkle grass seed over any gaps in the lawn.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

seed

seed [seed seeds seeded seeding] noun, verb [siːd] [siːd]

noun

OF PLANTS/FRUIT
1. countable, uncountable the small hard part produced by a plant, from which a new plant can grow
• a packet of wild flower seeds
• sesame seeds
• Sow the seeds outdoors in spring.
• These vegetables can be grown from seed.
• seed potatoes (= used for planting)

see also birdseed

2. countable (NAmE) = pip (²)

BEGINNING
3. countable, usually plural ~ (of sth) the beginning of a feeling or a development which continues to grow
• the seeds of rebellion

• This planted the seeds of doubt in my mind.

IN TENNIS

4. countable (especially in tennis) one of the best players in a competition. The seeds are given a position in a list to try and make sure that they do not play each other in the early parts of the competition
• The top seed won comfortably.

• the number one seed

OF A MAN

5. uncountable (old-fashioned or humorous) semen

6. uncountable (literary) all the people who are the children, grandchildren, etc. of one man
more at sow the seeds of sth at sow _v.
Word Origin:
Old English sǣd, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zaad, German Saat, also to sow¹.
Collocations:
The living world
Animals
animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on sth)
fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
insects/bees/locusts swarm
bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
spiders spin/weave a web
snakes/lizards shed their skins
bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
attract/find/choose a mate
produce/release eggs/sperm
lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
mark/enter/defend (a) territory
stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
Plants and fungi
trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
a seed germinates/sprouts
leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
flower buds swell/open
a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes sth
pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
produce/bear fruit
develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
Bacteria and viruses
bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on sth
bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize sth/cause disease
bacteria break sth down/convert sth (into sth)
a virus enters/invades sth/the body
a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
contain/carry/harbour (especially US) harbor bacteria/a virus
kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
Example Bank:
• Cutting weeds before they go to seed will greatly reduce future weed problems.
• Each fruit usually contains a single seed.
• He argued that capitalism contained the seeds of its own destruction.
• Most seeds are spread by the wind.
• Peel the peppers and remove the seeds.
• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.
• She was the top seed at the US Open this year.
• The catalogue has hundreds of different varieties of seeds.
• The plant will set seed in June.
• This tree produces very hard seeds.
• Venus Williams was the top seed at Wimbledon this year.
• the transformation of Tracy from good girl to bad seed
• I bought some seeds to plant in the garden.
• She hesitated, not wishing to sow the seeds of rebellion.
• Sow the seeds outdoors in spring.
• Those vegetables can be grown from seed.
• You can buy seed potatoes from garden centres or by mail order.
• apple/orange seeds
• coriander/cumin/mustard/poppy/pumpkin/sesame/sunflower seeds

Idiom: go to seed

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

seed / siːd / noun (PLANT)

B2 [ C or U ] a small, round, or oval object produced by a plant and from which, when it is planted, a new plant can grow:

Sow the seeds (= put them in the ground) about three centimetres deep.

The chemical will stop all seeds from sprouting (= starting to grow) .

The farmers grow these crops for seed (= for planting to grow more crops, rather than for eating) .

[ U ] literary → semen go/run to seed If a food plant goes or runs to seed, it produces flowers and seeds because it has not been picked early enough:

In hot weather lettuces can suddenly run to seed.

If a person or place goes or runs to seed, their physical appearance becomes worse because no one cares for them:

After he retired, he really went to seed.

seed / siːd / noun (BEGINNING)

C2 [ C usually plural ] the cause of a feeling or situation, or the early stages of it:

The seeds of friendship were sown early, and they remained lifelong companions.

He may be sowing the seeds of his own destruction in the long term by using violence against his own people.

seed / siːd / noun [ C ] (SPORT)

especially in tennis, a good player who is given a place on the list of those expected to win games in a particular competition because of the way they have played in the past:

Turner's opponent in the quarter-finals of the darts is the number one seed.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

seed

[si͟ːd]
♦♦
seeds, seeding, seeded
1) N-VAR A seed is the small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant grows.
  ...a packet of cabbage seed...
  I sow the seed in pots of soil-based compost.
  ...sunflower seeds.
2) VERB If you seed a piece of land, you plant seeds in it.
  [V n] Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them...
  [V pron-refl] The primroses should begin to seed themselves down the steep hillside.
  [V-ed] ...his newly seeded lawns.
  Syn:
  sow
3) N-PLURAL: N of n You can refer to the seeds of something when you want to talk about the beginning of a feeling or process that gradually develops and becomes stronger or more important. [LITERARY]
  He raised questions meant to plant seeds of doubts in the minds of jurors...
  He considered that there were, in these developments, the seeds of a new moral order.
4) N-COUNT: usu supp N, oft ord/num N In sports such as tennis or badminton, a seed is a player who has been ranked according to his or her ability. [TECHNICAL]
  ...Pete Sampras, Wimbledon's top seed and the world No.1...
  In the final Capriati, the third seed, defeated Katerina Maleeva.
5) VERB: usu passive When a player or a team is seeded in a sports competition, they are ranked according to their ability. [TECHNICAL]
  [be V-ed adv/prep] In the UEFA Cup the top 16 sides are seeded for the first round...
  [be V-ed adv/prep] He now meets Richey Reneberg, seeded eight...
  [V-ed] The top four seeded nations are through to the semi-finals.
  Syn:
  ranked
6) PHRASE: V inflects If vegetable plants go to seed or run to seed, they produce flowers and seeds as well as leaves.
  If unused, winter radishes run to seed in spring.
7) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that someone or something has gone to seed or run to seed, you mean that they have become much less attractive, healthy, or efficient.
  He says the economy has gone to seed...
  He was a big man in his forties; once he had a lot of muscle but now he was running to seed.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹seed /ˈsiːd/ noun, pl seeds
1 : a small object produced by a plant from which a new plant can grow

[count]

• a packet of sunflower seeds
• He planted/sowed the seeds three inches apart.
• (US) apple/orange seeds [=(Brit) pips]

[noncount]

• She raked the grass seed into the soil.
• She grows her plants from seed. [=by planting seeds rather than by some other method]
- see color picture
2 [count] : the beginning of something which continues to develop or grow
• Her comment planted/sowed a seed of doubt in his mind. [=caused him to begin to have doubts]
• The government's policies planted/sowed the seeds of war/destruction. [=created a situation that led to war/destruction]
3 [count] : a player or team that is ranked as one of the best in a competition (such as a tennis tournament) in order to be sure that the best players or teams do not play against each other in the early part of the competition
• The top seed won the tournament.
• Our team is the number one seed.
• She is ranked as the third seed.
4 [noncount]
a literary : all the children, grandchildren, etc., of a particular man
• the seed of Abraham
b old-fashioned + humorous : a man's semen
• a man spreading his seed [=fathering many children]
go to seed or run to seed
1 : to produce seeds
• The flowers will go to seed and spread.
• The plant runs to seed rapidly in hot weather.
2 : to become less attractive, effective, etc., because of age or lack of care
• He let himself go to seed after he lost his job.