Seed in Different Languages
Discover 'Seed' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A seed is a small, potent package filled with the promise of new life. It represents the beginning of something truly magical, whether it's a single blade of grass or a towering oak tree. Throughout history, seeds have held immense significance in various cultures, often symbolizing hope, potential, and renewal. They've played a crucial role in the development of agriculture and the growth of human civilization.
Did you know that the word 'seed' has fascinating translations in different languages? For instance, in Spanish, it's 'semilla,' in French, 'graine,' and in German, 'Samen.' These translations not only offer insight into the linguistic diversity of the world but also highlight the global cultural importance of seeds.
If you're intrigued by language, culture, and the symbolism of a simple yet powerful entity like a seed, you'll enjoy exploring its translations in various languages. Keep reading to delve deeper into this captivating subject!
Seed
Seed in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | saad | ||
| Saad is also an Arabic, Hebrew and Phoenician name meaning fortune or good luck. | |||
| Amharic | ዘር | ||
| In Amharic, ዘር (zer) also means 'offspring' or 'descendants'. | |||
| Hausa | iri | ||
| In Hausa, the word "iri" can also mean "grain" or "kernel". | |||
| Igbo | mkpuru | ||
| The Igbo word | |||
| Malagasy | taranaka | ||
| The word "taranaka" in Malagasy can also mean "the act of sowing" or "a seedbed". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mbewu | ||
| Mbewu is also used to refer to a person's lineage or ancestry. | |||
| Shona | mhodzi | ||
| The word 'mhodzi' also refers to a 'plant' in Shona language. | |||
| Somali | abuur | ||
| The word "abuur" in Somali is derived from the Proto-Somali word "*abuuri" meaning "fruit" or "grain". | |||
| Sesotho | peo | ||
| It also refers to a grain or kernel, used in particular for beadmaking and divination purposes, as well as the seed of certain fruit or plants | |||
| Swahili | mbegu | ||
| In botanical terminology, 'mbegu' refers to 'seeds' that can germinate, while in agriculture, it can include other plant propagules like tubers. | |||
| Xhosa | imbewu | ||
| The Xhosa word 'imbewu' also refers to the concept of a 'seed' in a metaphorical sense, representing the potential for growth and development. | |||
| Yoruba | irugbin | ||
| In Yoruba, the word "irugbin" originally denoted a "stone or object with a hole in it used in a Yoruba traditional game called Ayo", later getting its alternate meaning of "seed" from the similarity between the shape of the seed and the original game object. | |||
| Zulu | imbewu | ||
| The Zulu word for 'seed', 'imbewu', can also refer to a 'nucleus', 'core' or 'essence'. | |||
| Bambara | si | ||
| Ewe | nuku | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imbuto | ||
| Lingala | mbuma | ||
| Luganda | ensigo | ||
| Sepedi | peu | ||
| Twi (Akan) | aba | ||
Seed in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | بذرة | ||
| In Arabic, "بذرة" can refer both to a physical seed and figuratively to a starting point, origin, or source. | |||
| Hebrew | זֶרַע | ||
| Pashto | تخم | ||
| Arabic | بذرة | ||
| In Arabic, "بذرة" can refer both to a physical seed and figuratively to a starting point, origin, or source. | |||
Seed in Western European Languages
| Albanian | farë | ||
| The word "farë" also means "family" in Albanian, as it's the origin for the word "family" in many other languages, such as French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. | |||
| Basque | hazia | ||
| The Basque word "hazia" can also refer to a "sprout" or "offspring." | |||
| Catalan | llavor | ||
| The word "llavor" also refers to the source or origin of something, particularly in a figurative sense. | |||
| Croatian | sjeme | ||
| The word "sjeme" also means "meaning" or "intention" in a metaphorical sense. | |||
| Danish | frø | ||
| Danish "frø" is related to the English "fritter", meaning something of little value that crumbles away. | |||
| Dutch | zaad | ||
| English | seed | ||
| "Seed" derives from Old English "sæd," meaning "to sow" or "to plant." | |||
| French | la graine | ||
| La graine (seed) comes from the Late Latin grana (grain), a feminine singular noun, and is a doublet of the word grain. | |||
| Frisian | sied | ||
| The Frisian word “sied” also refers to someone who sows seeds as well as the action of doing so. | |||
| Galician | semente | ||
| In Galician, "semente" means "seed" but it can also refer to any type of "origin" or "source". | |||
| German | samen | ||
| In Yiddish, "samen" means "poison." | |||
| Icelandic | fræ | ||
| In Icelandic, "fræ" is also used figuratively to mean source of inspiration or knowledge. | |||
| Irish | síol | ||
| "Síol” can also mean "descendants" (plural), “descendant" (singular), “lineage”, or "family". | |||
| Italian | seme | ||
| The word | |||
| Luxembourgish | som | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Som" can also mean "germ" or "yeast". | |||
| Maltese | żerriegħa | ||
| Originating from a Semitic root, the word "żerriegħa" also refers to offspring or progeny in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | frø | ||
| **Frø** may also refer to the Danish, Norwegian, and Faroese word for the island of Frøya. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | semente | ||
| Scots Gaelic | sìol | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, “sìol” can refer to the seed of a plant, as well as the descendant of a person. | |||
| Spanish | semilla | ||
| "Semilla" comes from the Latin "seminalis" and can also mean "germ" or "beginning of something." | |||
| Swedish | utsäde | ||
| The Swedish word "utsäde" is also used metaphorically to refer to the dissemination of ideas or beliefs. | |||
| Welsh | hedyn | ||
| The word "Hedyn" also has the secondary meanings of "grain, kernel" and "testicle". | |||
Seed in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | насенне | ||
| Belarusian "насенне" derives from Middle High German "same(n)" (to collect) and also means "harvest" and "collection" | |||
| Bosnian | sjeme | ||
| The word "sjeme" can also refer to a small amount of something, such as a pinch of salt or a drop of water. | |||
| Bulgarian | семе | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of 'seed', 'семе' also has the metaphorical meaning of 'family' or 'origin' in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | semínko | ||
| The word "semínko" can also mean "a small piece of land" or "a small village" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | seeme | ||
| The word "seeme" could be derived from the Proto-Finnic "*siemē", related to sowing, or from the Proto-Uralic "*seme", meaning "that which is spread out." | |||
| Finnish | siemenet | ||
| Hungarian | mag | ||
| The Hungarian word "mag" (seed) is also used to describe the kernel or "meat" of a fruit, such as a walnut. | |||
| Latvian | sēklas | ||
| In Latvian, "sēklas" also refers to "the beginning of something", e.g. "sēklas jaunam uzņēmumam" (a seed for a new business). | |||
| Lithuanian | sėkla | ||
| "Sėkla" likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "sek-," meaning "to sow" or "to scatter." | |||
| Macedonian | семка | ||
| The word "семка" can also refer to a pumpkin seed or a sunflower seed. | |||
| Polish | nasionko | ||
| "Nasionko" is a diminutive of the word "nasiono" which comes from the Proto-Slavic word "sěmę" meaning "seed, grain". | |||
| Romanian | sămânță | ||
| The Romanian word for “seed,” sămânță, is related to the Persian word saman, which means “grass”. | |||
| Russian | семя | ||
| The word "семя" in Russian also means "family" or "origin". | |||
| Serbian | семе | ||
| "Семе" also means "testicle". | |||
| Slovak | semienko | ||
| In addition, "semienko" means "a very short person" in informal use. | |||
| Slovenian | seme | ||
| The word "seme" originates from Proto-Slavic "sēmę", which also meant "fruit". | |||
| Ukrainian | насіння | ||
| The word 'насіння' in Ukrainian not only means 'seed', but also includes the sense of 'offspring' or 'progeny. | |||
Seed in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বীজ | ||
| In Sanskrit, "bija" also means "germ" or "origin". | |||
| Gujarati | બીજ | ||
| The Gujarati word "બીજ" can also mean "source" or "origin". | |||
| Hindi | बीज | ||
| The Hindi word "बीज" (seed) is also used to mean "origin" or "source" in figurative contexts. | |||
| Kannada | ಬೀಜ | ||
| ಬೀಜ (bīja) originates from Sanskrit, where it also means "source" and can refer to the seed of a plant, the origin of something, or the first cause of an effect. | |||
| Malayalam | വിത്ത് | ||
| The Malayalam word "വിത്ത്" also refers to "a cause or origin" and is the root word of "വിത്തം" meaning "wealth". | |||
| Marathi | बी | ||
| The Marathi word "बी" also refers to a type of musical instrument known as a "veena" or "tambura". | |||
| Nepali | बीज | ||
| Punjabi | ਬੀਜ | ||
| In Punjabi, "ਬੀਜ" not only refers to a seed but can also mean "origin" or "source." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බීජ | ||
| In literature, this word also means 'cause' and 'origin'. | |||
| Tamil | விதை | ||
| The Tamil word "விதை" (seed) also means "sowing time" and is related to the word "விதையல்" (farming). | |||
| Telugu | విత్తనం | ||
| In ancient times, the meaning of విత్తనం also extended to 'wealth' which is why in Telugu we refer to a rich landlord with many lands and properties as a 'vittanatlu'. | |||
| Urdu | بیج | ||
Seed in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 种子 | ||
| In Chinese, 种子 (seed) also means "origin" or "source", indicating its pivotal role in the continuation of life. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 種子 | ||
| The Chinese character "種子" can also have the alternate meaning of "origin" or "beginning". | |||
| Japanese | シード | ||
| シード is also a loanword, and in addition to 'seed', it can mean 'initial stake', 'tournament seeding', or 'game character with special strength'. | |||
| Korean | 씨 | ||
| The word "씨" also means "thing" in Korean, stemming from its use to refer to grains in food. | |||
| Mongolian | үр | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အမျိုးအနွယ် | ||
Seed in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | benih | ||
| In the Indonesian language, "benih" can also refer to a genetic lineage, especially in the context of plants. | |||
| Javanese | winih | ||
| The word "winih" is also used to refer to a small amount of something, such as a small amount of money or food. | |||
| Khmer | ពូជ | ||
| The Khmer word "ពូជ" can also mean "race" or "kind". | |||
| Lao | ແກ່ນ | ||
| The Laotian word ແກ່ນ shares the same etymological Proto-Tai origin with the Khmer word គ្រាប់ (kraap) and the Siamese word แก่น (kɛːn), all meaning “seed”. | |||
| Malay | biji | ||
| The Malay word "biji" also refers to the kernels of coffee or corn and to pellets in general. | |||
| Thai | เมล็ดพันธุ์ | ||
| The word "เมล็ดพันธุ์" in Thai is derived from the Sanskrit word "bindu", meaning "point" or "drop", and is related to the concept of potential or growth. | |||
| Vietnamese | hạt giống | ||
| "Hạt giống" (literally "seed kernel") is also a Vietnamese idiom for "potential to develop". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buto | ||
Seed in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | toxum | ||
| Kazakh | тұқым | ||
| Тұқым in Kazakh can also mean 'kindred' and is cognate with the Mongolian word 'суг' ('seed'). | |||
| Kyrgyz | үрөн | ||
| The word "үрөн" can also refer to a child, a descendant, or a type of plant that produces seeds. | |||
| Tajik | тухмӣ | ||
| In Persian, this word means 'egg' and is the origin of the term 'tukhm-marg', which means 'scrambled eggs'. | |||
| Turkmen | tohum | ||
| Uzbek | urug ' | ||
| The word "urug'" in Uzbek also means "root", "origin", or "beginning". | |||
| Uyghur | ئۇرۇق | ||
Seed in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hua kanu | ||
| "Hua kana" means "planted seed," or a seed intended for planting, while "hua kanu" specifically means a seed that has not yet sprouted. | |||
| Maori | kākano | ||
| "Kākano" can mean "seed" or "egg" in Maori, and has the added metaphorical meanings of "child" or "potential." | |||
| Samoan | fatu | ||
| The word 'fatu' in Samoan is a cognate of the Fijian word 'vatu', which also means seed. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | binhi | ||
| Binhi can refer not only to botanical seeds, but also figuratively to descendants or anything thought to engender something, like an idea or an organization. | |||
Seed in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jatha | ||
| Guarani | ra'ỹi | ||
Seed in International Languages
| Esperanto | semo | ||
| 'Semo' (meaning 'seed' in Esperanto) also refers to a small unit of digital information, used in the Esperanto programming language | |||
| Latin | semen | ||
Seed in Others Languages
| Greek | σπόρος | ||
| In ancient Greek, 'σπόρος' could mean not only 'seed' but also 'sowing', 'crops' or even 'the product of crops'. | |||
| Hmong | noob | ||
| In Hmong, 'noob' can also mean 'a small child,' referring to the small size of a seed. | |||
| Kurdish | toxim | ||
| The word "toxim" in Kurdish also means "progeny" or "offspring". | |||
| Turkish | tohum | ||
| The Turkish word "tohum" originated from Proto-Turkic "toγum" or Proto-Mongolic "toγun." | |||
| Xhosa | imbewu | ||
| The Xhosa word 'imbewu' also refers to the concept of a 'seed' in a metaphorical sense, representing the potential for growth and development. | |||
| Yiddish | זוימען | ||
| The Yiddish word זוימען (zoymen) is derived from the Middle High German word "same," meaning "a sown field," and is related to the English word "seam." | |||
| Zulu | imbewu | ||
| The Zulu word for 'seed', 'imbewu', can also refer to a 'nucleus', 'core' or 'essence'. | |||
| Assamese | বীজ | ||
| Aymara | jatha | ||
| Bhojpuri | बीज | ||
| Dhivehi | އޮށް | ||
| Dogri | बीऽ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buto | ||
| Guarani | ra'ỹi | ||
| Ilocano | bukel | ||
| Krio | sid | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تۆو | ||
| Maithili | बीज | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯝꯔꯨ | ||
| Mizo | thlai chi | ||
| Oromo | sanyii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମଞ୍ଜି | ||
| Quechua | muhu | ||
| Sanskrit | बीज | ||
| Tatar | орлык | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘርኢ | ||
| Tsonga | mbewu | ||