seedbed

American  

[seed-bed] / ˈsidˌbɛd /

noun

1. land prepared for seeding.

2. a plot of ground for seedlings.

3. a place of development; source.

---

seedbed British  

/ ˈsiːdˌbɛd /

noun

1. a plot of land in which seeds or seedlings are grown before being transplanted

2. the place where something develops

   the seedbed of discontent

---

Etymology

Origin of seedbed

First recorded in 1650–60; seed + bed

Example Sentences

This is Rule No. 1 in the Lyle-Nickerson book: Character and situation come first, laying the seedbed for themes and big ideas.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023

The absence of noncompete enforcement may well have been an important factor in the development of Silicon Valley as a vibrant seedbed of innovation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2023

In a normal situation, a ground fire would spark the release of the seeds from those cones, at the same time providing a bare mineral-soil seedbed for the sequoia.

From Scientific American • Jul. 15, 2022

This soil is difficult to work up and develop into a good seedbed.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2022

There were straight rows of trees—colonnades—growing out of the seedbed of trees that had fallen two hundred years before and sunk and become the earth itself.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson