seem

seem

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of seem in English

English Online Dictionary. What means seem‎? What does seem mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • seme (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English semen (to seem, befit, be becoming), from Old Norse sœma (to conform to, beseem, befit), from Proto-Germanic *sōmijaną (to unite, fit), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (one; whole). Cognate with Scots seme (to be fitting; beseem), Danish sømme (to beseem), Old Swedish søma, Faroese søma (to be proper). Related also to Old Norse sómi (honour) ( > archaic Danish somme (decent comportment)), Old Norse sœmr (fitting, seemly), Old English sēman (to reconcile, bring an agreement), Old English sōm (agreement).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /siːm/
  • Rhymes: -iːm
  • Homophones: seam, seme

Verb

seem (third-person singular simple present seems, present participle seeming, simple past and past participle seemed)

  1. (copulative) To appear; to look outwardly; to be perceived as.
    • 1813 (14thc.), Dante Alighieri, The Vision of Hell as translated by The Rev. H. F. Cary.
      He, from his face removing the gross air, / Oft his left hand forth stretch'd, and seem'd alone / By that annoyance wearied.
  2. (obsolete) To befit; to beseem.

Usage notes

  • This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Derived terms

  • can't seem
  • meseems
  • seeming
  • seemingly
  • seemly
  • seemlihood
  • seemliness

Translations

Anagrams

  • Esme, Esmé, emes, mese, seme, semé, smee

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch sēm, from Proto-Germanic *saimaz.

Noun

sêem m

  1. honey

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

  • Dutch: zeem
  • West Flemish: zêem

Further reading

  • “seem”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “seem”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɛːm/
  • Rhymes: -ɛːm

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English sēam (seam), from Proto-West Germanic *saum, from Proto-Germanic *saumaz. The "nail" sense is a semantic loan from Old Norse saumr.

Alternative forms

  • ceem, ceme, sem, seme, seyme

Noun

seem (plural semes)

  1. (sewing) A seam (in fabric).
  2. A depression or indentation:
    1. A furrow or trench; a depression in the ground.
    2. A seam (scar or cicatrix).
    3. A seam (suture or stitching).
    4. (anatomy) A bodily depression or furrow.
  3. (construction) Clinching nails.
Related terms
  • semestere
Descendants
  • English: seam
  • Scots: seam
References
  • “sēm(e, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  • “sēm(e, n.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old English sēam, from Proto-West Germanic *saum (load), from Late Latin sauma, from Latin sagma, from Ancient Greek σάγμα (ságma).

Alternative forms

  • ceme, sem, seme
  • sæm (early)

Noun

seem (plural semes)

  1. A load for a pack-horse.
  2. A seam (unit of weight or volume)
Related terms
  • semen
Descendants
  • English: seam (historical)
References
  • “sēm(e, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.