seed
/siːd/
noun
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*seh₁- — to sow, throw
Overview
Meaning Now
- A small, hard-coated fertilized ovule of a plant, capable of germinating into a new plant.
- Offspring, descendants, or progeny; a lineage.
- A player or team given a ranking in a tournament to determine their placement in the draw.
Literal older meaning
that which is sown
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → West Germanic → Old English → Middle English → Modern English
Earliest form
sǣd
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word is part of the common West Germanic vocabulary, reflecting the ancient agricultural practices of early Germanic tribes. Its development shows regular phonological progression from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- through to the Germanic *sēd- base, sharing cognates with nearly all major Germanic languages.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*seh₁-
“to sow, plant”
Reconstructed root.
- Proto-Germanic
*sēdiz
“seed”
Formative stage for Germanic languages.
- Old English
sǣd
“seed, grain, produce”
Direct ancestor in Old English.
- Middle English
seed
“seed, semen, descendants”
Standardized spelling development.
- Modern English
seed
“botanical seed, sports ranking”
Modern usage expanded to include tournament classification.
Connections
Word parts
seed
root
that which is sown
Related across languages
Dutch
zaad
seed
German
Saat
seed; sowing
Latin
serere
to sow
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.