seed
/siːd/
The primary image is one of potential and origin. Whether biological or financial, it represents the smallest possible starting point that contains all the necessary information or resources to grow into something much larger. In a business context, "seed" carries a connotation of risk and early-stage nurturing, distinguishing it from later rounds of funding (like Series A) which are more about scaling than initiating. In sports, the term shifts toward organization and fairness. It implies a structured hierarchy where rank determines placement to ensure the most competitive matches happen at the end of a tournament. The word is unique because its verb forms can be opposites: it can mean adding seeds to the earth (sowing) or removing seeds from a vegetable (cleaning). Context is the only way to distinguish these two actions.
Countable when referring to individual botanical grains (three pumpkin seeds). Uncountable when referring to the collective material for sowing (the field was full of seed).
💬Casual Conversation
DAVID DID I TELL YOU TO SEED THE TOMATOES YET???
Mom, I'm tied up in a sync. Can we circle back later?
Meanings
The small, hard part of a plant from which a new plant can grow.
"She planted a sunflower seed in the garden."
The initial amount of money used to start a business venture.
"The startup received 50,000 dollars in seed funding."
To sow seeds in the ground for growth.
"The farmer spent the morning seeding the north field."
Collocations & Compounds
seed pod
Noun collocation: the protective casing containing seeds
The seed pod burst open to release the seeds into the wind.
seed funding
Noun collocation: the initial capital used to start a business
The tech startup is seeking seed funding to develop its prototype.
seed the ground
Verb collocation: to sow seeds in the earth
The gardener began to seed the ground with wildflowers in early spring.
seed a tournament
Verb collocation: to rank players to determine their bracket positions
The organizers will seed a tournament based on the current world rankings.
seed the pepper
Verb collocation: to remove the seeds from a pepper
You should seed the pepper to reduce the heat of the dish.
Phrasal Verbs
seed out
to distribute seeds across a wide area
The wind helped seed out the wildflowers across the valley.
Idioms & Sayings
seed money
the initial capital used to start a business
They used their life savings as seed money for the new bakery.
Etymology
Derived from the Old English "sed," which originates from the Proto-Germanic "sēdiz," tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root "sē-," meaning to sow. The term evolved from a purely agricultural description of plant reproduction to encompass financial and competitive metaphors over several centuries.