seed

noun (PLANT)

/siːd/

Definition

1. Definition

2. Practise

B2 [C or U] a small, round, or oval object produced by a plant and from which, when it is planted, a new plant can grow: Sow the seeds (= put them in the ground) about three centimetres deep. The chemical will stop all seeds from sprouting (= starting to grow). The farmers grow these crops for seed (= for planting to grow more crops, rather than for eating).Fruits and seeds and their parts › [U] literary → semenBodily fluids and their productionUrine and urinating go/run to seed › If a food plant goes or runs to seed, it produces flowers and seeds because it has not been picked early enough: In hot weather lettuces can suddenly run to seed.Decaying and staying fresh › If a person or place goes or runs to seed, their physical appearance becomes worse because no one cares for them: After he retired, he really went to seed.Deteriorating and making worse

(Definition of seed noun (PLANT) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Browse related topics

You are looking at an entry to do with Deteriorating and making worse, but you might be interested in these topics from the Breaking and damaging topic area: