semer

See also: Semer

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French semer, from Latin sēmināre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sə.me/

• audio

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Verb

semer

1. to sow (scatter seed, etc.)
2. to shake off, to lose (a pursuer)
   • 2014, Édouard Louis, En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule [The End of Eddy], Le Seuil:

     […] il se relève tout de suite et avec ses collègues ils poursuivent Sylvain, la même chose que les courses-poursuites qu’on voit à la télé. Mais mon biloute, il se laisse pas faire, il arrive à semer la police. Ils le perdent.

     […] he gets up straight away and he and his colleagues chase Sylvain, like one of those chases you see on TV. But my mate, he doesn't give in, and he manages to shake off the police. They lose him.

3. (figuratively) to spread, to sow

   semer la zizanie ― to sow dissent, to sow discord

   semer la pagaille ― to spread disorder, to wreak havoc

   semer la peur ― to fearmonger

   semer la terreur ― to spread terror

   semer la désolation ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   semer la mort ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Conjugation

This verb is conjugated like parler, except the -e- /ə/ of the second-to-last syllable becomes -è- /ɛ/ when the next vowel is a silent or schwa -e-, as in the third-person singular present indicative il sème and the third-person singular future indicative il sèmera.

Conjugation of semer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	semer
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	semant /sə.mɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		semé /sə.me/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	sème /sɛm/	sèmes /sɛm/	sème /sɛm/	semons /sə.mɔ̃/	semez /sə.me/	sèment /sɛm/
	imperfect	semais /sə.mɛ/	semais /sə.mɛ/	semait /sə.mɛ/	semions /sə.mjɔ̃/	semiez /sə.mje/	semaient /sə.mɛ/
	past historic2	semai /sə.me/	semas /sə.ma/	sema /sə.ma/	semâmes /sə.mam/	semâtes /sə.mat/	semèrent /sə.mɛʁ/
	future	sèmerai /sɛm.ʁe/	sèmeras /sɛm.ʁa/	sèmera /sɛm.ʁa/	sèmerons /sɛm.ʁɔ̃/	sèmerez /sɛm.ʁe/	sèmeront /sɛm.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	sèmerais /sɛm.ʁɛ/	sèmerais /sɛm.ʁɛ/	sèmerait /sɛm.ʁɛ/	sèmerions /sɛ.mə.ʁjɔ̃/ or /se.mə.ʁjɔ̃/	sèmeriez /sɛ.mə.ʁje/ or /se.mə.ʁje/	sèmeraient /sɛm.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	sème /sɛm/	sèmes /sɛm/	sème /sɛm/	semions /sə.mjɔ̃/	semiez /sə.mje/	sèment /sɛm/
	imperfect2	semasse /sə.mas/	semasses /sə.mas/	semât /sə.ma/	semassions /sə.ma.sjɔ̃/	semassiez /sə.ma.sje/	semassent /sə.mas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	sème /sɛm/	—	semons /sə.mɔ̃/	semez /sə.me/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

• qui sème le vent récolte la tempête

Derived terms

• semaison
• semeur

 

Related terms

• inséminer
• saison
• semailles
• semence
• séminaire
• séminal

 

Further reading

• “semer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• mères

Old French

Etymology

From Latin sēmināre, present active infinitive of sēminō.

Verb

semer

1. to sow (scatter seed, etc.)

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-ms, *-mt are modified to ns, nt. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of semer (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		semer			avoir semé
gerund		en semant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		semant
past participle		semé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	sem	semes	seme	semons	semez	sement
	imperfect	semoie, semeie, semoe, semeve	semoies, semeies, semoes, semeves	semoit, semeit, semot, semeve	semiiens, semiens	semiiez, semiez	semoient, semeient, semoent, semevent
	preterite	semai	semas	sema	semames	semastes	semerent
	future	semerai	semeras	semera	semerons	semeroiz, semereiz, semerez	semeront
	conditional	semeroie, semereie	semeroies, semereies	semeroit, semereit	semeriiens, semeriens	semeriiez, semeriez	semeroient, semereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	sem	sens	sent	semons	semez	sement
	imperfect	semasse	semasses	semast	semissons, semissiens	semissoiz, semissez, semissiez	semassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	seme	—	semons	semez	—

Related terms

• semance

Descendants

• French: semer
• Norman: s'maïr, s'mer

Turkish

Etymology

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish سمر (semer, “packsaddle”), from Greek σαμάρι (samári, “packsaddle”), diminutive of Ancient Greek σάγμα (ságma, “packsaddle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sɛmeɾ]
• Hyphenation: se‧mer

Noun

semer (definite accusative semeri, plural semerler)

1. packsaddle
2. (geology) anticline
3. (biology) clitellum

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	semer
Definite accusative	semeri
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	semer	semerler
Definite accusative	semeri	semerleri
Dative	semere	semerlere
Locative	semerde	semerlerde
Ablative	semerden	semerlerden
Genitive	semerin	semerlerin
Possessive forms Nominative Singular Plural 1st singular semerim semerlerim 2nd singular semerin semerlerin 3rd singular semeri semerleri 1st plural semerimiz semerlerimiz 2nd plural semeriniz semerleriniz 3rd plural semerleri semerleri Definite accusative Singular Plural 1st singular semerimi semerlerimi 2nd singular semerini semerlerini 3rd singular semerini semerlerini 1st plural semerimizi semerlerimizi 2nd plural semerinizi semerlerinizi 3rd plural semerlerini semerlerini Dative Singular Plural 1st singular semerime semerlerime 2nd singular semerine semerlerine 3rd singular semerine semerlerine 1st plural semerimize semerlerimize 2nd plural semerinize semerlerinize 3rd plural semerlerine semerlerine Locative Singular Plural 1st singular semerimde semerlerimde 2nd singular semerinde semerlerinde 3rd singular semerinde semerlerinde 1st plural semerimizde semerlerimizde 2nd plural semerinizde semerlerinizde 3rd plural semerlerinde semerlerinde Ablative Singular Plural 1st singular semerimden semerlerimden 2nd singular semerinden semerlerinden 3rd singular semerinden semerlerinden 1st plural semerimizden semerlerimizden 2nd plural semerinizden semerlerinizden 3rd plural semerlerinden semerlerinden Genitive Singular Plural 1st singular semerimin semerlerimin 2nd singular semerinin semerlerinin 3rd singular semerinin semerlerinin 1st plural semerimizin semerlerimizin 2nd plural semerinizin semerlerinizin 3rd plural semerlerinin semerlerinin

Derived terms

• semerci
• eşeğe altın semer vursalar yine eşektir