Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - seed

 I. noun  (plural ~ or ~s)  Etymology: Middle English, from Old English s?d; akin to Old High German sat ~, Old English sawan to sow — more at sow  Date: before 12th century  1.  a.  (1) the grains or ripened ovules of plants used for sowing  (2) the fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant; broadly a propagative plant structure (as a spore or small dry fruit)  b. a propagative animal structure:  (1) milt, semen  (2) a small egg (as of an insect)  (3) a developmental form of a lower animal suitable for transplanting; specifically spat  c. the condition or stage of bearing ~ in ~  2. progeny  3. a source of development or growth ; germ sowed the ~s of discord  4. something (as a tiny particle or a bubble in glass) that resembles a ~ in shape or size  5. a competitor who has been ~ed in a tournament the top ~  • ~ adjective  • ~ed adjective  • ~less adjective  • ~like adjective  II. verb  Date: 14th century  intransitive verb  1. to bear or shed ~  2. to sow ~ ; plant  transitive verb  1.  a. to plant ~s in ; sow ~ a lawn with grass  b. to furnish with something that causes or stimulates growth or development  c. inoculate  d. to supply with nuclei (as of crystallization or condensation); especially to treat (a cloud) with solid particles to convert water droplets into ice crystals in an attempt to produce precipitation  e. to cover or permeate by or as if by scattering something ~ed the sea-lanes with thousands of magnetic mines — Otto Friedrich  2. plant 1a  3. to extract the ~s from (as raisins)  4.  a. to schedule (tournament players or teams) so that superior ones will not meet in early rounds  b. to rank (a contestant) relative to others in a tournament on the basis of previous record the top-~ed tennis star