From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishseedseed1 /siːd/ ●●● S3 W3 noun 1 plants a) [countable, uncountable]HBP a small hard object produced by plants, from which a new plant of the same kind grows a packet of sunflower seedsplant/sow seeds (=put them in the soil) Sow the seeds one inch deep in the soil.grow something from seed We grew all our tomatoes from seed. b) [uncountable] a quantity of seeds Some of the poorest farmers don’t have enough money to buy seed.2 
in fruit [countable] American EnglishHBP one of the small hard objects in a fruit such as an apple or orange, from which new fruit trees grow SYN pip British English3 → seeds of something4 → go/run to seed5 → number one/two/three etc seed6 sexHBH [uncountable] biblical semen or sperm – often used humorously7 family [uncountable] biblicalRRC the group of people who have a particular person as their father, grandfather etc, especially when they form a particular raceCOLLOCATIONSverbsplant/sow seeds (=put them in the soil)Sow the seeds in trays or pots.grow something from seed (=grow a plant from a seed rather than buying it as a small plant)You can grow most vegetables from seed.seeds germinate (=start to grow)The seeds should start to germinate after a few days.NOUN + seedflower/sunflower/tomato etc seedsI bought a packet of poppy seeds.grass seedYou can sprinkle grass seed over any gaps in the lawn.
in fruit [countable] American EnglishHBP one of the small hard objects in a fruit such as an apple or orange, from which new fruit trees grow SYN pip British English3 → seeds of something4 → go/run to seed5 → number one/two/three etc seed6 sexHBH [uncountable] biblical semen or sperm – often used humorously7 family [uncountable] biblicalRRC the group of people who have a particular person as their father, grandfather etc, especially when they form a particular raceCOLLOCATIONSverbsplant/sow seeds (=put them in the soil)Sow the seeds in trays or pots.grow something from seed (=grow a plant from a seed rather than buying it as a small plant)You can grow most vegetables from seed.seeds germinate (=start to grow)The seeds should start to germinate after a few days.NOUN + seedflower/sunflower/tomato etc seedsI bought a packet of poppy seeds.grass seedYou can sprinkle grass seed over any gaps in the lawn.Examples from the Corpus
seed• It is begun from a seed and all the characteristics that it can evolve are predetermined and contained within the seed.• Arizona seed growers suspect the infestation may widen because the state ships its seed to many other states and countries.• Brussels sprouts in browned butter with caraway seeds.• Saving seed can help balance the books, but it's not to be undertaken lightly.• Firstly we need some seeds to grow our garden plants from.• And what about the seeds of your other garden plants?seedseed2 verb 1 [transitive]DF to remove seeds from fruit or vegetables Add one lime, seeded and sliced.2 [transitive]DST to give a player or team in a competition a particular position, according to how likely they are to winbe seeded 8th/18th etc Sharapova was seeded fifth at Wimbledon.3 [transitive]TACDLG to plant seeds in the ground a newly seeded lawn4 [intransitive]HBP to produce seeds5 → seed itselfGrammar Seed is usually passive when used as a transitive verb.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
seed• Add 2 green peppers, seeded and sliced.• Taking all this into account, we have to ask why the extraterrestrials should be remotely interested in seeding distant planets.• And how incredibly generous this man was; he seeded friendships that still write the history of the West.• Plants had already seeded in crevices around the foundations, preparing to take over the instant man's will failed.From Longman Business Dictionaryseedseed1 /siːd/ (also seedcorn) /ˈsiːdkɔːn-kɔːrn/ British English noun seed capital/money/financing etcFINANCE money used to start a new company, project, activity etcCareful budgeting allows managers to accumulate savings, which they can use as seed capital.Our total computer-relatedseed investment amounted to $29.1 million.seedseed2 verb [transitive]FINANCE to provide the money needed to start a companyIn Germany, government funding has helped seed about 300 companies in three years.→ See Verb tableOrigin seed1 Old English sæd 