- a flowering plant's unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant种子, 籽。
- mass noun a quantity of these一定数量的种子：
grass seed
草籽
you can grow artichokes from seed.
你可以用种子培植朝鲜蓟。
- figurative the cause or latent beginning of a feeling, process, or condition〈喻〉原因; 萌芽：
the conversation sowed a tiny seed of doubt in his mind.
那次谈话在他的心中埋下了一颗小小的怀疑种子。
- mass noun archaic (chiefly in biblical use) a person's offspring or descendants〈古〉（主要用于圣经）子孙, 后代。
- mass noun a man's semen（人的）精子。
- （亦作seed crystal）a small crystal introduced into a liquid to act as a nucleus for crystallization晶粒, 晶种。
- a small container for radioactive material placed in body tissue during radiotherapy辐射管; 镭管。
- any of a number of stronger competitors in a sports tournament who have been assigned a specified position in an ordered list with the aim of ensuring that they do not play each other in the early rounds种子选手; 种子队：
he knocked the top seed out of the championships.
他在锦标赛中淘汰了一号种子选手。
- with obj. sow (land) with seeds在（土地）上播种：
the shoreline is seeded with a special grass.
海岸线播种了一种特别的草。
- sow (a particular kind of seed) on or in the ground播种（特定种子）。
- figurative cause (something) to begin to develop or grow〈喻〉使萌芽; 使发展：
his interest in public service was seeded when he was a child.
在他还是个小孩子的时候就萌生了对公共服务的兴趣。
- place a crystal or crystalline substance in (something) in order to cause crystallization or condensation (especially in a cloud to produce rain)用晶粒物质使冷凝（结晶）（尤指促云化雨）。
- no obj.(of a plant) produce or drop seeds（植物）结籽; 脱籽：
mulches encourage many plants to seed freely.
覆盖膜促使许多植物大量结籽。
seed itself
(of a plant) reproduce itself by means of its own seeds（植物）自播：feverfew will seed itself readily.
菊科植物自播会很容易。
- with obj. remove the seeds from (vegetables or fruit)给（蔬菜, 水果）去籽：
stem and seed the chillies.
去掉辣椒的梗和籽。
- with obj. give (a competitor) the status of seed in a tournament把（比赛选手）列为种子选手：
with obj. and complement Jeff Tarango, seeded five, was defeated by fellow American Todd Witsken.杰夫·特兰格, 第五号种子选手, 被他的美国同胞托德·威茨肯打败。
go （或run） to seed
(of a plant) cease flowering as the seeds develop（植物）落花结籽。■ deteriorate in condition, strength, or efficiency（状况）恶化; （力量, 效率）下降：Mark knows he has allowed himself to go to seed. 马克知道他已经自甘堕落了。