seed

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, US) enPR: sēd, IPA(key): /siːd/ Rhymes: -iːd Homophones: cede, sede === Etymology 1 === From Middle English seed, sede, side, from Old English sēd, sǣd (“seed, that which is sown”), from Proto-West Germanic *sād, from Proto-Germanic *sēdą, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (“to sow, throw”). ==== Alternative forms ==== sede (obsolete) ==== Noun ==== seed (countable and uncountable, plural seeds) (countable, agriculture) Any propagative portion of a plant which may be sown, such as true seeds, seed-like fruits, tubers, or bulbs. Synonym: spawn (countable, botany) A fertilized and ripened ovule, containing an embryonic plant. (countable) Any small seed-like fruit. (uncountable, collective) An amount of seeds that cannot be readily counted. (countable) A fragment of coral. (uncountable) Semen. (countable, figurative) A precursor. Synonym: germ (countable) The initial state, condition or position of a changing, growing or developing process; the ultimate precursor in a defined chain of precursors. (sports) The initial position of a competitor or team in a tournament. (seed position) The competitor or team occupying a given seed (position). (cryptography, computing) The initialization state of a pseudorandom number generator or similar system. Synonym: seed number (video games) (by extension) A unique code that acts as a blueprint for generating a specific game world, determining terrain, structures, and resource placement. Synonym: seed number (Internet marketing) A commercial message in a creative format placed on relevant sites on the Internet. (seed idea or seed message) (now rare) Offspring, descendants, progeny. Race; generation; birth. (physics) A small particle, bubble, or imperfection that serves as a nucleation point for some process. A small bubble formed in imperfectly fused glass. (US slang) A child. ===== Usage notes ===== (botany, agriculture): The common use of seed differs from the botanical use. The “seeds” of sunflowers are botanically fruits. ===== Hyponyms ===== crack seed ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== seed (third-person singular simple present seeds, present participle seeding, simple past and past participle seeded) (transitive) To plant or sow an area with seeds. (reflexive) To shed seeds (refers to plants) (transitive) To cover thinly with something scattered; to ornament with seedlike decorations. (transitive) To start; to provide, assign or determine the initial resources for, position of, state of. (sports, gaming) To allocate a seeding to a competitor. (Internet, transitive) To leave (files) available for others to download through peer-to-peer file sharing protocols (e.g. BitTorrent). (intransitive) To be qualified to compete, especially in a quarter-final, semi-final, or final. (meteorology) To scatter small particles within (a cloud or airmass) in order to trigger the formation of rain. (intransitive) To produce seed. (intransitive) To grow to maturity. (slang, vulgar) To ejaculate inside the penetratee during intercourse, especially in the rectum. ===== Derived terms ===== overseed self-seed ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From see + -d (“past tense suffix; variant of -ed”). ==== Verb ==== seed (dialectal) simple past and past participle of see === Further reading === “seed n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present. === Anagrams === sede, EDES, dese, dees, Edes == Chinese == === Etymology === Borrowed from English seed. === Pronunciation === === Noun === seed (Hong Kong Cantonese, Internet slang) one who provides the files to others to download through peer-to-peer file sharing protocols (e.g. BitTorrent) file(s) that are available for download through peer-to-peer file sharing protocols (e.g. BitTorrent) Synonym: 種子 / 种子 serial number or code of Japanese adult videos === See also === 爆seed == Middle English == === Etymology 1 === From Old English sǣd, sēd, from Proto-West Germanic *sād, *sādi, from Proto-Germanic *sēdiz, *sēdą, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (compare sowen). ==== Alternative forms ==== ceed, ceede, sed, sede, sedde, seede, seide, seod, seth, seyd, seyde, side, syd, zed sad, sæd, sæt (Early Middle English) ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /seːd/, /sɛ̝ːd/ IPA(key): /saːd/ (East Saxon) ==== Noun ==== seed (plural sedes) seed (ovule or analogous structure): A kind or variety of seed. (collectively) seed, grain (figuratively) germ, origin semen, sperm (or the supposed female equivalent) offspring, progeny descendants, lineage (rare) bit, granule (rare) seeding, sowing ===== Derived terms ===== seden ===== Descendants ===== English: seed Scots: seed, seid, sid Yola: zeade ===== References ===== “sẹ̄d, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== seed alternative form of seden (“to seed”) == North Frisian == === Alternative forms === siad (Föhr-Amrum) sead (Heligoland) sädj (Mooring) Siid (Sylt) säid (Wiedingharde) === Etymology === From Old Frisian sēd, from Proto-West Germanic *sād, from Proto-Germanic *sēdiz (“seed”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (“to sow, plant”). === Noun === seed (Halligen) seed