seed
B1Neutral to formal, depending on context.
Definition
Meaning
A small object produced by a flowering plant, containing an embryo capable of developing into a new plant.
1. The origin or beginning of something. 2. In sports, a ranking assigned to a competitor in a tournament. 3. In computing, a value used to initialize a pseudorandom number generator.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word has strong agricultural, biological, and metaphorical uses. Its meaning shifts from a literal, countable noun (plant seeds) to an abstract, uncountable one (the seed of an idea). As a verb, it can be transitive (seed the lawn) or intransitive (the plants seeded).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. Minor differences in sports commentary phrasing. 'Seed money' is common in both. The verb 'to seed' (to remove seeds) is slightly more common in US cooking contexts (e.g., 'seed a jalapeño').
Connotations
Identical core connotations of growth, potential, and origin.
Frequency
Equally frequent in both varieties. Slight edge in metaphorical/business use in American English ('seed funding').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
N (countable/uncountable)V + N (seed the field)V (intransitive: The dandelions have seeded)BE + seeded + as/with (He was seeded third in the tournament)N + of + N (a seed of doubt)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “go/run to seed (become unattractive or neglected)”
- “sow the seeds of (start the process of)”
- “a bad seed (a person with inherent bad character)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Seed funding/capital: initial investment to start a business.
Academic
In biology: plant reproduction. In statistics/computer science: initial value for a random process.
Everyday
Gardening, cooking, sports tournaments.
Technical
Agriculture: seed treatment, germination. Computing: random seed. Sports: tournament seeding.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- We need to seed the lawn before the autumn rains.
- The champion was seeded straight into the final rounds.
- The experiment's results were seeded with a random number.
American English
- Remember to seed the pomegranate before adding it to the salad.
- The committee seeded the top four teams to avoid early matchups.
- The random number generator must be seeded with a unique value.
adverb
British English
- No standard adverbial form. The word is not used as an adverb.
- N/A
American English
- No standard adverbial form. The word is not used as an adverb.
- N/A
adjective
British English
- We bought a seed potato variety suitable for our soil.
- The seed capital allowed them to hire their first employee.
American English
- The seed funding round closed successfully.
- He is the tournament's number-one seed player.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The bird is eating a seed.
- I planted a sunflower seed in the garden.
- This apple has many seeds inside.
- The farmer sowed the seeds in neat rows.
- They provided the seed money to start the business.
- He is the number one seed in the tennis tournament.
- The documentary planted a seed of curiosity about ancient history in her mind.
- If you don't maintain the property, it will quickly go to seed.
- The random algorithm requires a seed value to begin its calculations.
- The political scandal sowed the seeds of the government's eventual downfall.
- The venture capitalists were reluctant to provide further seed funding after the initial pivot.
- The study's methodology involved a seeded randomisation process to ensure group parity.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a SEEd. You need to SEE it to plant it, and it holds the potential to SEE a new plant grow.
Conceptual Metaphor
IDEAS ARE PLANTS ("sow a seed of doubt", "the idea took root"), BEGINNINGS ARE SEEDS ("the seed of the empire"), POTENTIAL IS A SEED ("she was a seed of greatness").
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Russian 'сид' (CID) is a false friend. It's a computer term, not a plant seed.
- Russian 'семя' covers both 'seed' and 'sperm', leading to potential confusion in biological contexts.
- The phrase 'go to seed' has no direct equivalent; it's an idiom about neglect.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'seed' uncountably for a single unit (e.g., 'I planted a seed' not 'I planted seed').
- Confusing 'seeded' (ranked) with 'seedy' (shabby).
- Misspelling as 'ceed' or 'sead'.
- Using 'seed' as a verb without an object where one is needed (e.g., 'They seeded' is incomplete; 'They seeded the clouds' is correct).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'seed' used metaphorically?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both. Countable: 'I planted three seeds.' Uncountable (referring to material): 'The bag is full of grass seed.' The metaphorical sense ('seed of doubt') is usually countable.
'Seed' is the general term. A 'pip' is a small seed in fruits like apples or oranges. A 'stone' or 'pit' is the large, hard seed in fruits like peaches or avocados. A 'kernel' is the softer, edible part inside a nut or seed shell, like in a sunflower seed or a wheat grain.
It's an idiom meaning to become unattractive, untidy, or less capable due to neglect or decline, like a plant that is past its prime and produces seeds instead of flowers.
'Seed funding' or 'seed capital' refers to the initial investment used to start a new business, often provided in exchange for equity. It comes from the metaphor of planting the first seed from which the company will grow.