The Clue
Incipient plant (4 letter answer)
The Answer
SEED
Tags
Notes
The answer SEED is seen frequently, appearing about once every 70 puzzles.
Related Clues
Beginning
Germ
Kernel
Origin
___ pearl
Pip
Pit
Progeny
Scions
Sow
Spore
Start
Assigned position
Bracket position
Burpee's bit
Feeder filler
Induce rain from
Item for a gardener
Kind of money
Open position?
Oyster or pearl
Parakeet treat
Pip or kernel
Plant's origin
Plant's start
Start of something
Starting point
Tidbit for a titmouse
Very beginning
Wimbledon ranking
Bit of watermelon waste
C. Norris novel
Do a farm job
Favorable tournament position
Kind of corn or money
Open ranking, e.g.
Rank a tennis contestant
Some bird feed
Start of something big
Definition
SEED as a noun:
1. a small hard fruit
2. a mature fertilized plant ovule consisting of an embryo and its food source and having a protective coat or testa
3. (seeded player, seed) = one of the outstanding players in a tournament
4. (source, seed, germ) = anything that provides inspiration for later work
5. (semen, seed, seminal fluid, ejaculate, cum, come) = the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
SEED as a verb:
1. go to seed; shed seeds; "The dandelions went to seed"
2. help (an enterprise) in its early stages of development by providing seed money
3. bear seeds
4. (sow, sough, seed) = place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth; "She sowed sunflower seeds"
5. distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds
6. sprinkle with silver iodide particles to disperse and cause rain; "seed clouds"
7. inoculate with microorganisms
8. remove the seeds from; "seed grapes"