Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Seed
Seed
(sēd)
, Noun.
pl.
Seed
or Seeds
(#)
. 1.
(Bot.)
(a)
A ripened ovule, consisting of an embryo with one or more integuments, or coverings;
as, an apple
By germination it produces a new plant. seed
; a currant seed
. (b)
Any small seedlike fruit, though it may consist of a pericarp, or even a calyx, as well as the seed proper;
as, parsnip
seed
; thistle seed
.And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding
seed
, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed
is in itself. Gen. i. 11.
☞ The seed proper has an outer and an inner coat, and within these the kernel or nucleus. The kernel is either the embryo alone, or the embryo inclosed in the albumen, which is the material for the nourishment of the developing embryo. The scar on a seed, left where the stem parted from it, is called the hilum, and the closed orifice of the ovule, the micropyle.
2.
(Physiol.)
The generative fluid of the male; semen; sperm; – not used in the plural.
3.
That from which anything springs; first principle; original; source;
as, the
. seeds
of virtue or vice4.
The principle of production.
Praise of great acts he scatters as a
seed
,Which may the like in coming ages breed
. Waller.
5.
Progeny; offspring; children; descendants;
as, the
. seed
of Abraham; the seed
of David☞ In this sense the word is applied to one person, or to any number collectively, and admits of the plural form, though rarely used in the plural.
6.
Race; generation; birth.
Of mortal
seed
they were not held. Waller.
Seed
,Verb.
I.
1.
To sow seed.
2.
To shed the seed.
Mortimer.
3.
To grow to maturity, and to produce seed.
Many interests have grown up, and
seeded
, and twisted their roots in the crevices of many wrongs. Landor.
Seed
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Seeded
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Seeding
.] 1.
To sprinkle with seed; to plant seeds in; to sow;
as, to
. seed
a field2.
To cover thinly with something scattered; to ornament with seedlike decorations.
A sable mantle
seeded
with waking eyes. B. Jonson.
To seed down
, to sow with grass seed.
Webster 1828 Edition
Seed
SEED
,Noun.
1. The substance, animal or vegetable, which nature prepares for the reproduction and conservation of the species. The seeds of plants are a deciduous part, containing the rudiments of a new vegetable. In some cases, the seeds costitute the fruit or valuable part of plants, as in the case of wheat and other esculent grain; sometimes the seeds are inclosed in fruit, as in apples and melons. When applied to animal matter, it has no plural.
2. That from which any thing springs; first principle; original; as the seeds of virtue or vice.
3. Principle of production.
Praise of great acts he scatters as a seed. Waller.
4. Progeny; offspring; children; descendants; as the seed of Abraham; the seed of David. In this sense, the word is applied to one person, or to any number collectively, and admits of the plural form; but rarely used in the plural.
5. Race; generation; birth.
Of mortal seed they were not held. Waller.
SEED
,Verb.
1. To grow to maturity, so as to produce seed. Maiz will not seed in a cool climate.
2. To shed the seed.
SEED
,Verb.
T.