- seed (v.)
- "to produce seed," late 14c.; "to sow with seed," mid-15c.; from seed (n.). Sporting (originally tennis) sense (1898) is from notion of spreading certain players' names so as to insure they will not meet early in a tournament. The noun in this sense is attested from 1924. Related: Seeded; seeding.
- seed (n.)
- Old English sed, sæd, from Proto-Germanic *sædis, *sæda- (cf. Old Norse sað, Old Saxon sad, Old Frisian sed, Middle Dutch saet, Old High German sat, German Saat), from root *sæ- "to sow," from PIE root *se- "to sow" (see sow (v.)). Meaning "offspring, progeny" was in Old English, rare now except in biblical use. For sporting sense, see seed (v.).