cede [ seed ](past and past participleced·ed, present participleced·ing, 3rd person present singularcedes)
transitive verb
Definition:
surrender something: to surrender or give up something such as land, rights, or power, to another country, group, or person
[Early 16th century. Via French< Latin cedere "give way"]
Spelling Note
cede or seed
? Do not confuse the spelling of cede and seed, which sound similar. Cede, the less frequent of the two words, is a verb meaning "surrender or give up," as in cede territory. Seed is chiefly used as a noun, meaning "a part or parts of a plant" (as in grass seed, grapes with no seeds) or "a graded competitor in some sports" (as in the number one seed); it is also used as a verb, meaning "sow, shed, or remove seeds."
Word History
The Latin word cedere "to give way," from which cede is derived, is also the source of English abscess, accede, ancestor, cease, concede, decease, exceed, precede, predecessor, proceed, procession, recede, and succeed.
