seedy

Definition

Literal senses:

Etymology

From Middle English sedy, equivalent to seed + -y. The senses with negative connotation, first attested by 1725 in slang, originally especially “poor, out of money”, probably arose from the metaphor of a flower that has gone to seed, and is no longer considered beautiful. From there the word came to be used to describe unwell or past-their-prime people, and parallelly run-down places and by extension low-income or crime-affected urban areas. Compare the figurative expressions go to seed (by 1817), etc., originally in reference to plants, “cease flowering as seeds develop”.

Example Sentences

• "Pomegranates are as seedy as any fruit you are likely to see."
• "Sleazy city / Seedy films / Breathing so heavy / Next to my neighbour / Let’s get acquainted"
• "The healing power of alcohol / Only works on scrapes and nicks / And not on girls in seedy bars / Who drown themselves in it"