poppy seed

American  

noun

poppy seeds plural

1. seed of the poppy plant, used as an ingredient or topping for breads, rolls, cakes, and cookies.

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poppy seed British  

noun

1. the small grey seeds of one type of poppy flower, used esp on loaves and as a cake filling

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• poppy seeds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of poppy seed

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

poppy seed

The LED recording light is about the size of a poppy seed, so it’s on you to tell people you’re wearing a wire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

Even though Horton hadn’t taken cough medicine, health officials say consuming poppy seed products can lead to positive results for morphine, codeine or both due to the sensitivity of the drug tests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024

The internal anatomy of a prehistoric creature the size of a poppy seed has been revealed in “astonishing detail”.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024

“Initial breadiness compacts nicely,” my notes begin, “buttery bottom with slight chew, soft, poppy seed top fun, very faint yet lovely biscuity taste.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

In his “Sand Reckoner,” Archimedes first calculated how many grains of sand would fit across a poppy seed, and then how many poppy seeds would span a finger's breadth.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife