run to seed

seed

[seed] noun, plural seeds (especially collectively) seed, verb, adjective
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., especially as preserved for growing a new crop.
3.
such parts collectively.
4.
any similar small part or fruit.
5.
Dialect, pit2.
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., especially 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.), especially by providing operating capital.
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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/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:
before 900; (noun) Middle English sede, side, seed(e), Old English sēd, sǣd; cognate with German Saat, Old Norse sāth, Gothic -seths; (v.) Middle English seden to produce seeds, derivative of the noun; akin to sow1

Related forms
seed·less, adjective
seed·less·ness, noun
seed·like, adjective
de·seed, verb (used with object)
o·ver·seed, verb
re·seed, verb
un·der·seed·ed, adjective
un·seed·ed, adjective
un·seed·ing, adjective
well-seed·ed, adjective

Can be confused: 1. cede, concede, secede, seed ; 2. recede, reseed.

Synonyms
7. descendants, heirs, posterity, issue, scions.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
seed (siːd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  botany a mature fertilized plant ovule, consisting of an embryo and its food store surrounded by a protective seed coat (testa)Related: seminal
2.  the small hard seedlike fruit of plants such as wheat
3.  (loosely) any propagative part of a plant, such as a tuber, spore, or bulb
4.  such parts collectively
5.  the source, beginning, or germ of anything: the seeds of revolt
6.  chiefly Bible offspring or descendants: the seed of Abraham
7.  sperm an archaic or dialect term for semen
8.  sport a seeded player
9.  the egg cell or cells of the lobster and certain other animals
10.  See seed oyster
11.  chem a small crystal added to a supersaturated solution or supercooled liquid to induce crystallization
12.  go to seed, run to seed
 a.  (of plants) to produce and shed seeds
 b.  to lose vigour, usefulness, etc
 
—vb
13.  to plant (seeds, grain, etc) in (soil): we seeded this field with oats
14.  (intr) (of plants) to form or shed seeds
15.  (tr) to remove the seeds from (fruit, etc)
16.  (tr) chem to add a small crystal to (a supersaturated solution or supercooled liquid) in order to cause crystallization
17.  (tr) to scatter certain substances, such as silver iodide, in (clouds) in order to cause rain
18.  (tr)
 a.  to arrange (the draw of a tournament) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds
 b.  to distribute (players or teams) in this manner
 
Related: seminal
 
[Old English sǣd; related to Old Norse sāth, Gothic sēths, Old High German sāt]
 
'seedlike
 
—adj
 
'seedless
 
—adj

SEED
 
—abbreviation for
Scottish Executive Education Department

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

seed
"to produce seed," late 14c.; "to sow with seed," c.1440; from seed (n.). Sporting (originally tennis) sense (1898) is from notion of spreading certain players' names so as to insure they will not meet early in a tournament. The noun in this sense is attested from 1933.

seed
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
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.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
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.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

run to seed

Also, go to seed. Become devitalized or worn out; deteriorate, as in I went back to visit my old elementary school, and sadly, it has really run to seed, or The gold medalist quickly went to seed after he left competition. This term alludes to plants that, when allowed to set seed after flowering, either taste bitter, as in the case of lettuce, or do not send out new buds, as is true of annual flowers. Its figurative use dates from the first half of the 1800s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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