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

These included dairy, ⁠wheat, ⁠tree nuts, ⁠coconut, seafood, red fish, ⁠pulses and beans, kiwi, sesame, ⁠dogs, cats, horse, ⁠pollen, flaxseed, ⁠chia, poppy seed, buckwheat, millet, peas, chestnut, quinoa, rye, oats and ⁠pumpkin.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

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

Many humans are infected when they’re nipped by nymph ticks, a period in their life cycle when they’re roughly the size of a poppy seed and barely visible to the naked eye.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025

One of the snacks we do is a smoked beef snack with seasonal fish and a poppy seed tart with salted citrus and chilli.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2024

Apple caramel mocha poppy seed, that’s what she’d ended up with.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff