noun / verb
seed
A participant's assigned position in a tournament based on expected ability.
Her strong record earns her the top seed in the tournament.
Etymology
Tournament placement compares distributing strong competitors through a draw to sowing seeds. The assigned seed position helps structure the competition according to expected strength.
More examples
- The committee seeds players according to their recent results.
- The top four seeds receive a bye in the first round.
- He is seeded third despite winning last year's championship.
Forms
seed · seeds · seeded · seeding