SEED (seed)

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does seed mean? 

• SEED (noun)
  The noun SEED has 5 senses:

1. a small hard fruit
2. a mature fertilized plant ovule consisting of an embryo and its food source and having a protective coat or testa
3. one of the outstanding players in a tournament
4. anything that provides inspiration for later work
5. the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

  Familiarity information: SEED used as a noun is common.

• SEED (verb)
  The verb SEED has 8 senses:

1. go to seed; shed seeds
2. help (an enterprise) in its early stages of development by providing seed money
3. bear seeds
4. place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
5. distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds
6. sprinkle with silver iodide particles to disperse and cause rain
7. inoculate with microorganisms
8. remove the seeds from

  Familiarity information: SEED used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SEED (noun)

Sense 1

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A small hard fruit

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("seed" is a kind of...):

fruit (the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant)

Meronyms (parts of "seed"):

kernel; meat (the inner and usually edible part of a seed or grain or nut or fruit stone)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "seed"):

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)

bean (any of various seeds or fruits that are beans or resemble beans)

nut (usually large hard-shelled seed)

coquilla nut (nut having a hard hazel-brown shell used like vegetable ivory)

ash-key (winged seed of the ash tree)

edible seed (many are used as seasoning)

coffee; coffee bean; coffee berry (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 seedlike fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn)

Sense 2

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

A mature fertilized plant ovule consisting of an embryo and its food source and having a protective coat or testa

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("seed" is a kind of...):

ovule (a small body that contains the female germ cell of a plant; develops into a seed after fertilization)

Meronyms (parts of "seed"):

pericarp; seed vessel (the ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary)

endosperm (nutritive tissue surrounding the embryo within seeds of flowering plants)

episperm; seed coat; testa (protective outer layer of seeds of flowering plants)

Sense 3

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

One of the outstanding players in a tournament

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

seeded player; seed

Hypernyms ("seed" is a kind of...):

participant; player (a person who participates in or is skilled at some game)

Sense 4

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Anything that provides inspiration for later work

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

germ; seed; source

Hypernyms ("seed" is a kind of...):

inspiration (arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "seed"):

taproot (something that provides an important central source for growth or development)

muse (the source of an artist's inspiration)

Sense 5

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

The thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

come; seminal fluid; semen; ejaculate; cum; seed

Hypernyms ("seed" is a kind of...):

bodily fluid; body fluid; humor; humour; liquid body substance (the liquid parts of the body)

Meronyms (parts of "seed"):

sperm; sperm cell; spermatozoan; spermatozoon (the male reproductive cell; the male gamete)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "seed"):

milt (seminal fluid produced by male fish)

• SEED (verb)

Sense 1

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Go to seed; shed seeds

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The dandelions went to seed

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

disgorge; shed; spill (cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "seed"):

reseed (seed again or anew)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 2

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Help (an enterprise) in its early stages of development by providing seed money

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

finance (obtain or provide money for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Bear seeds

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

bear; turn out (bring forth,)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 4

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

sow; sough; seed

Context example:

She sowed sunflower seeds

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Domain category:

agriculture; farming; husbandry (the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "seed"):

broadcast (sow over a wide area, especially by hand)

inseminate; sow; sow in (place seeds in or on (the ground))

scatter (sow by scattering)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

grade; order; place; range; rank; rate (assign a rank or rating to)

Domain category:

athletics; sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 6

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Sprinkle with silver iodide particles to disperse and cause rain

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

seed clouds

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

process; treat (subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 7

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Inoculate with microorganisms

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

inoculate (introduce a microorganism into)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 8

seed [BACK TO TOP]

Meaning:

Remove the seeds from

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

seed grapes

Hypernyms (to "seed" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something