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seedless

 - 5 dictionary results

seed

  [seed] noun, plural seeds, (especially collectively) seed, verb, adjective
Use seedless in a Sentence
–noun
1. the fertilized, matured ovule of a flowering plant, containing an embryo or rudimentary plant.
2. any propagative part of a plant, including tubers, bulbs, etc., esp. as preserved for growing a new crop.
3. such parts collectively.
4. any similar small part or fruit.
5. Dialect. pit 2 .
6. the germ or propagative source of anything: the seeds of discord.
7. offspring; progeny.
8. birth: not of mortal seed.
9. sperm; semen.
10. the ovum or ova of certain animals, as the lobster and the silkworm moth.
11. seed oyster.
12. a small air bubble in a glass piece, caused by defective firing.
13. Crystallography, Chemistry. a small crystal added to a solution to promote crystallization.
14. Tennis. a player who has been seeded in a tournament.
–verb (used with object)
15. to sow (a field, lawn, etc.) with seed.
16. to sow or scatter (seed).
17. to sow or scatter (clouds) with crystals or particles of silver iodide, solid carbon dioxide, etc., to induce precipitation.
18. to place, introduce, etc., esp. in the hope of increase or profit: to seed a lake with trout.
19. to sprinkle on (a surface, substance, etc.) in the manner of seed: to seed an icy bridge with chemicals.
20. to remove the seeds from (fruit).
21. Sports.
a. to arrange (the drawings for positions in a tournament) so that ranking players or teams will not meet in the early rounds of play.
b. to distribute (ranking players or teams) in this manner.
22. to develop or stimulate (a business, project, etc.), esp. by providing operating capital.
–verb (used without object)
23. to sow seed.
24. to produce or shed seed.
–adjective
25. of or producing seed; used for seed: a seed potato.
26. being or providing capital for the initial stages of a new business or other enterprise: The research project began with seed donations from the investors.
—Idioms
27. go or run to seed,
a. (of the flower of a plant) to pass to the stage of yielding seed.
b. to lose vigor, power, or prosperity; deteriorate: He has gone to seed in the last few years.
28. in seed,
a. (of certain plants) in the state of bearing ripened seeds.
b. (of a field, a lawn, etc.) sown with seed.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME sede, side, seed(e), OE sēd, sǣd; c. G Saat, ON sāth, Goth -seths; (v.) ME seden to produce seeds, deriv. of the n.; akin to sow1

Related forms:
seedless, adjective
seed⋅less⋅ness, noun
seedlike, adjective

Synonyms:
7. descendants, heirs, posterity, issue, scions.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

seed  (n.)
O.E. sed, sæd, from P.Gmc. *sædis, *sæda- (cf. O.N. sað, O.S. sad, O.Fris. sed, M.Du. saet, O.H.G. sat, Ger. Saat), from root *sæ- "to sow," from PIE base *se- "to sow" (see sow (v.)). Meaning "offspring, progeny" was in O.E., rare now except in biblical use. Sporting (originally tennis) sense is from notion of spreading certain players' names so as to insure they will not meet early in a tournament (1924). Seedy is 1440, originally "fruitful, abundant," meaning "shabby" is from 1749, probably in allusion to the appearance of a flowering plant that has run to seed.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 3seed
Function: adjective
1 : selected or used to produce a new crop or stock <seed virus>
2 : left orsaved for breeding seed population>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

seed (sēd)
n.

  1. A ripened plant ovule that contains an embryo.

  2. A propagative part of a plant, such as a tuber or a spore.

  3. Sperm; semen.

v. seed·ed, seed·ing, seeds
To inoculate a culture medium with microorganisms.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
seed   (sēd)  Pronunciation Key 
Noun   A mature fertilized ovule of angiosperms and gymnosperms that contains an embryo and the food it will need to grow into a new plant. Seeds provide a great reproductive advantage in being able to survive for extended periods until conditions are favorable for germination and growth. The seeds of gymnosperms (such as the conifers) develop on scales of cones or similar structures, while the seeds of angiosperms are enclosed in an ovary that develops into a fruit, such as a pome or nut. The structure of seeds varies somewhat. All seeds are enclosed in a protective seed coat. In certain angiosperms the embryo is enclosed in or attached to an endosperm, a tissue that it uses as a food source either before or during germination. All angiosperm embryos also have at least one cotyledon. The first seed-bearing plants emerged at least 365 million years ago in the late Devonian Period. Many angiosperms have evolved specific fruits for dispersal of seeds by the wind, water, or animals. See more at germination, ovule.

Verb  

  1. To plant seeds in soil.

  2. To initiate rainfall or to generate additional rainfall by artificially increasing the precipitation efficiency of clouds. See more at cloud seeding.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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