poppy seed

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of poppy seed

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

There’s the Ukrainian poppy seed cake makivnyk, the Middle Eastern hot chocolate sahlep, the Spanish nougat turrón and the Chinese candied fruit tanghulu, among others.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025

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

Developing a computer the size of a poppy seed capable of all these tasks is way beyond the ability of modern science.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2024

The couple now run the dessert shop Coping Cookies on Capitol Hill, with seasonable flavors such as lemon-boysenberry, Earl Grey and lemon poppy seed.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 22, 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