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).
→ semen
the cause of a feeling or situation, or the early stages of it:
From these early seeds of their friendship, they grew into lifelong companions.
He may be sowing the seeds of his own destruction in the long term by using violence against his own people.
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 is the number one seed.
to produce seeds:
The plants have seeded themselves (= their seeds have fallen) into the cracks between the paving stones.
to remove the seeds from a fruit or vegetable:
Wash, seed, and cut the pepper into small pieces.
to sow (= plant) seeds somewhere:
Winter wheat can be seeded into open plots.
Spring is a great time to seed the bare patches in your lawn.
to cause something to exist and develop:
This was the article that seeded his book.
The main strategy was getting others to buy into a vision, seeding ideas at different levels in the organization.
to make a player a seed:
[ + adj ] Jones, seeded second, has won her last ten matches.
to spread substances such as certain chemicals in clouds, in order to try to make them produce rain, or more rain:
Scientists have experimented with cloud control, including seeding clouds to promote the shedding of rain.
He seeds clouds in west Texas.
a small, usually hard part of a plant from which a new plant can grow
the beginning or cause of something:
A good defense lawyer knows how to plant these little seeds of doubt in the minds of jurors.
any of the players or teams ranked among the best in a particular competition
to plant seeds in the ground:
We seeded the lawn with a different grass this year.
money used to start a new company, business, activity, etc. as an investment:
seed capital/funding/money The conference is aimed at entrepreneurs looking for seed capital for new business ventures.
to provide money to start a new company, business, etc. as an investment:
The venture capital fund of $250 million will seed Chinese high-tech and biotechnology startup ventures.