noun · neuterthird declension
sēmen
sēmen n (genitive sēminis)
Classical[ˈseː.mɛn]Ecclesiastical[ˈsɛː.men]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- seed (of plants)
Sēmen manū spargere.
To scatter seed by hand.‘prīma per immēnsās sparsī nova sēmina gentēs!
“First [it was] I [who] scattered new seeds throughout countless nations! Previously the earth was of [but] one color.” (The poetic voice is that of Flora (mythology).)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 5.221–222 - semen
- graft
- offspring
- cause
- poeticseed (of the elements of other bodies (of fire, water, stones, etc.))
et ignis sēmina convolvunt ē nūbibus.
and the seeds of fire roll from the clouds.c. 99 BCE – 55 BCE, Lucretius, De rerum natura 6
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
parvum et dūrum; ex sēmine nova planta nāscitur; sēmina in terram pōnimus.sēmen -inis n — in Mille Verba, Arborēs et Plantae
unde planta nāscitursēmen -inis (n) — in IVLIANVS I: Gallia, ch. 18
id unde crēscitsēmen -inis (n) — in IVLIANVS II: Imperium, ch. 21
id ex quō planta crēscitsēmen -inis (n) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 11
prōgeniēs, stirpssēmen -inis (n) — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 18
prīncipium parvum ex quō rēs crēscitsēmen -inis (n) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 1
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | sēmen | sēmina |
| genitive | sēminis | sēminum |
| dative | sēminī | sēminibus |
| accusative | sēmen | sēmina |
| ablative | sēmine | sēminibus |
| vocative | sēmen | sēmina |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- serere; semen spargere
- to sow.
- elementa et tamquam semina rerum
- the elements and first beginnings.
sēmen, ĭnis, n. root sa-, sē-; cf.: sero, sevi; Saturnus, sator, etc..
I. Seed.
1. Of plants, Cato, R. R. 17; 27; 31 fin.; 34; Varr. R. R. 1, 40 sq.:
semen manu spargere, Cic. Rosc. Am. 18, 50: terra semen excepit, id. Sen. 15, 51; id. N. D. 2, 32, 81; Ov. M. 1, 108; 7, 623 et saep.—2. Of men, animals, etc., Plaut. Am. 5, 2, 9; Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 4; 2, 3, 4; 3, 7, 10 al.; Lucr. 4, 1031; 4, 1034 sq.; Cels. 4, 19; Ov. M. 1, 748; 15, 760 et saep.—
3. Poet., of the elements of other bodies (of fire, water, stones, etc.):
ignis semina convolvunt e nubibus, Lucr. 6, 201 sq.; 6, 444; 6, 507; 6, 841: quaerit pars semina flammae in venis silicis, Verg. A. 6, 6; Ov. M. 11, 144 et saep.: in animis quasi virtutum igniculi et semina, Cic. Fin. 5, 7, 18; so id. Div. 1, 3, 6: alicujus quaestionis, Liv. 40, 19.—B. κατʼ ἐξοχήν, spelt-seed, spelt, Plin. 18, 8, 19, § 82; 18, 24, 55, § 198; Col. 2, 12, 1; cf. Isid. Orig. 17, 3, 6.—
II. Transf.
A. A shoot used for propagating; a graft, scion, set, slip, cutting, Varr. R. R. 1, 40, 5; Verg. G. 2, 354; Col. 3, 3, 4; 3, 4, 1; 5, 10, 1 et saep.—
2. A stock, race (very rare):
genus ac semen, Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 95; so (with genus) id. Phil. 4, 5, 13: ipsa regio semine orta, Liv. 1, 47: videndum, ut boni seminis pecus habeas, Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 4.—3. Posterity, progeny, offspring, child (poet.):
non tulit in cineres labi sua Phoebus eosdem Semina, sed natum flammis Eripuit, Ov. M. 2, 629; so, semina, id. ib. 10, 470; 15, 216; id. F. 2, 383; id. Tr. 2, 415; Sen. Herc. Fur. 987; Vulg. Gen. 15, 5 et saep.—II. Trop., as in all languages, seed, i. e. origin, occasion, ground, cause; of persons, an author, prompter, insligator, etc. (class.).
(a). Sing. (the predom. signif. in Cic.):
stirps ac semen malorum omnium, Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30: bellorum civilium semen et causa, id. Off. 2, 8, 29, cf. ut in seminibus est causa arborum et stirpium: sic hujus belli semen ut fuisti (for which, just before: causam belli in personā tuā constitisse), id. Phil. 2, 22, 55: sceleris, Plaut. Rud. 2, 2, 21.—(b). Plur.:
in animis, quasi virtutum igniculi atque semina, Cic. Fin. 5, 7, 18: quod et Zeno in suis commentariis quasi semina quaedam sparsisset, id. Div. 1, 3, 6: si virtutes sunt, ad quas nobis initia quaedam ac semina sunt concessa naturā, Quint. 2, 20, 6: loquaces, seditiosos, semina discordiarum (tribunos plebis), Liv. 3, 19, 5: vix tamen illa semina erant futurae luxuriae, the small beginnings, id. 39, 6, 9; cf. id. 40, 19, 9: discordiae, Tac. H. 1, 53; 4, 18 fin.: belli, id. A. 4, 27; 16, 7: rebellionis, id. ib. 11, 19: motus, id. ib. 3, 41. futuri exitii, id. ib. 4, 60: ejus facultatis, Quint. 2, 20, 6: quamquam semina ejus (translationis) quaedam apud Aristotelen reperiuntur, id. 3, 6, 60: quaedam probationum, id. 4, 2, 54: veteris eloquentiae, Tac. Or. 33; Sen. Ep. 90, 29.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
sēmen inis, n
1 SA-.—Of plants, seed : manu spargere semen: terra semen excepit: iacto semine, V.: quercus de semine Dodonaeo, O.—Of men or animals, seed, race : genitus de semine Iovis, son of Jupiter , O.: ipsa regio semine orta, L.: mortali semine cretus, of mortal race , O.: (virtus) propria Romani seminis, i. e. an inborn characteristic of the Romans.—A shoot, graft, scion, set, slip, cutting : Seminibus positis (i. e. virgultis), V.— Posterity, progeny, offspring, child : inpia Semina fert utero, O.—Fig., seed, an origin, essence, principle, source, occasion, ground, cause : veteris percepto semine venae Arva rigent auro, O.: malorum omnium: huius belli: Semina terrarumque animaeque marisque Et ignis, i. e. the four elements , V.: semina discordiarum (tribuni), L.: semina futurae luxuriae, the small beginnings , L.
Origins
From Proto-Italic *sēmn̥, from Proto-Indo-European *séh₁mn̥ (“seed”).
Descendants
- Italianseme
- Catalansemen
- Englishsemen
- Portuguesesêmen
- Portuguesesémen
- Spanishsemen
- Spanishsemilla
- Romanshsem
- Venetansema
- Irishseamhanfrom Middle Irish semen