What does seedsman mean?
A seedsman is a person who sows seed, especially an agricultural worker whose principal duty is planting. The term is now mainly literary or historical, but it appears in older accounts of farming, estate records, and descriptions of rural labor. In its traditional sense, it identifies a specific agricultural task rather than necessarily denoting the owner of a farm: the seedsman could be a laborer, servant, or seasonal worker employed to place seed in the ground. Modern speakers would usually use sower for the action itself or farmer for someone engaged in agriculture more broadly. The word is a transparent compound of seed and man, reflecting the straightforward way in which many English occupational names were formed. Although it sounds old-fashioned, it remains precise in historical contexts and offers a vivid example of vocabulary once used to distinguish particular kinds of agricultural work.
nounA person who sows seed, especially a farmer or agricultural laborer employed to do so. The word is now chiefly archaic and historical.
- A person whose occupation or particular task is sowing seed.
"The farmer hired a seedsman to sow the fields before the rain arrived."
"Each family contributed a team of laborers and a seedsman for the spring planting."
"The account book records wages paid to the estate's seedsmen."
The plural changes the middle consonant of man to m, as in men.
"The seedsmen began planting at first light."
A seedsman literally sowed the future: every field began with a handful of seed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does seedsman come from?
Seedsman is an English compound formed from seed and man, literally identifying a man who handles or sows seed. The suffix man in such occupational compounds historically indicated a person engaged in a particular trade. Its development parallels continental formations such as German Sämann, meaning a seedman or sower, although the English compound has its own established usage.
Related word forms
How seedsman is actually used
Seedsman is archaic and literary rather than a usual contemporary term. In modern English, sower is more readily understood, while farmer may denote the worker's broader occupation.