Search Result for "hotbed": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (2)

1. a situation that is ideal for rapid development (especially of something bad);
- Example: "it was a hotbed of vice"

2. a bed of earth covered with glass and heated by rotting manure to promote the growth of plants; 



The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Hotbed \Hot"bed`\, n.
   1. (Gardening) A bed of earth heated by fermenting manure or
      other substances, and covered with glass, intended for
      raising early plants, or for nourishing exotics.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A place which favors rapid growth or development; as, a
      hotbed of sedition.
      [1913 Webster]


WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

hotbed
    n 1: a situation that is ideal for rapid development (especially
         of something bad); "it was a hotbed of vice"
    2: a bed of earth covered with glass and heated by rotting
       manure to promote the growth of plants