noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:HH AA1 T B EH2 D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A low bed of earth covered with glass, and heated with rotting manure, used for the germination of seeds and the growth of tender plants, like a miniature hothouse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Near-synonym: hotbox
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hotbox
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An environment that is ideal for the growth or development of something, especially of something undesirable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: seedbed
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An iron platform in a rolling mill, on which hot bars, rails, etc., are laid to cool.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a bed of earth covered with glass and heated by rotting manure to promote the growth of plants
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: bed
5
noun
Meaning 5
a situation that is ideal for rapid development (especially of something bad)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
it was a hotbed of vice
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: situation, state of affairs
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English hot Proto-Germanic *badją Proto-West Germanic *badi Old English bedd Middle English bed English bed English hotbed From hot + bed.
Across languages
Translations
40 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
разсадник
(razsadnik)
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Danish:
varmebed
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Danish:
drivbænk
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Finnish:
kasvilava
— low bed of earth covered with glass
German:
Frühbeet
— low bed of earth covered with glass
German:
Treibbeet
— low bed of earth covered with glass
German:
Mistbeet
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Hungarian:
melegágy
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Polish:
inspekt
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Russian:
парни́к
(parník)
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Serbo-Croatian:
nispet
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Serbo-Croatian:
topla gredica
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Swedish:
drivbänk
— low bed of earth covered with glass
Arabic:
بُؤْرَة
(buʔra)
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Bulgarian:
огнище
(ognište)
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Catalan:
fogar
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Chinese Mandarin:
溫床 /温床
(wēnchuáng)
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Czech:
semeniště
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Dutch:
broeinest
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Finnish:
pesä
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
French:
nid
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
German:
Brutstätte
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
German:
Nährboden
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
German:
Hort
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
German:
Tummelplatz
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Hungarian:
melegágy
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Japanese:
温床
(onshō)
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Korean:
온상
(onsang)
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Norwegian Bokmål:
arnested
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Polish:
wylęgarnia
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Polish:
siedlisko
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Polish:
zarzewie
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Portuguese:
antro
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Russian:
расса́дник
(rassádnik)
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Serbo-Croatian:
leglo
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Spanish:
semillero
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Spanish:
hervidero
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Spanish:
caldo de cultivo
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Spanish:
terreno abonado
— place ideal for the growth of something undesirable
Polish:
płyta chłodząca
— platform in rolling mill
