(a) The grain or ovule of a plant by which a new plant is propagated, a seed; (b) coll. seed; grain; (c) a kind of seed; also, pl. kinds of seed; (d) ~ coriaundre, coriaundre ~; aker ~, enough seed to seed an acre; dile (diles, fenel, mustard, etc.) ~; gromel (netle) sedes; late ~, seed sown late in the season; lenten ~, seed sown in spring; time of lenten ~, time of sowing of spring seed; somer (estival) ~, seed sown for summer harvest; winter ~, seed sown just before winter for harvest the following spring or summer; casten (isouen, souen) sed(es, wurpen ~, to sow seed; (e) fig. spiritual seed; also, a latent beginning of something, germ; ~ of god, ?the Holy Spirit, ?the divine nature [quot.: c1384]; mouth ~, words; souen ~, to spread good or evil; also, spread (news); souen silver ~, give bribes; (f) in cpds.: ~ bene, bene ~, seed furnished by a tenant for his lord's demesne land; ~ cod, a sack or basket in which to carry the seed while sowing; ~ feld, ?arable land; ?land planted to seed; ~ foul, a bird which feeds on grain or seeds; ~ oile, oil derived from seeds; ~ time [OE sǣdtīma], the season for sowing.

(a) A decoction of seeds, a potion made with seeds; domb ~, a potion containing seeds with narcotic or sedative properties; (b) the act of sowing; also, the time of sowing.

(a) A representation of a seed in an embroidered design; (b) something resembling a seed in form; also, a small piece, bit [1st quot.].

(a) Semen, sperm; also, the female seed or element presumably acted upon by the male sperm to bring about conception; fader ~, father's sperm; (b) alch. seminal ~ masculine, the masculine element in the alchemical union.

(a) Offspring, progeny; coll. descendants; -- also pl.; an unborn child [quot.: c1350]; ~ of felonie (wikkednesse), fig. as a term of abuse; caimes ~; (b) a race, line, stock; species, kind; (c) fig. Christ.

(a) In book title: bok of the sedes of prophetes, a work attributed to Joachim of Flora; (b) in surnames.