Dictionary formsemen, seminis(neuter)
Translation
seed; offspring, descendants
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Grammar
Cases
| Case | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativethe subject | semen | semina |
| Vocativecalling someone: O ... | semen | semina |
| Accusativethe direct object; after ad, in (into), per | semen | semina |
| Genitiveof | seminis | seminum |
| Dativeto, for | semini | seminibus |
| Ablativeby, with, from; after a, ab, cum, de, e, ex, in (in), sine | semine | seminibus |
Examples
.
The seed fell on good ground.
.
From a small seed a great tree arises.
.
The seeds lie in the fields.
.
The king's offspring remains in the land.
.
He was born of his father's seed.
Semen, seminis is third declension neuter, from the root of sero, "to sow". The stem gains an -in-, so the ablative is semine and the plural semina, and it is a neuter throughout: no seminus exists.
Two extensions carry the word. The first is agricultural and then figurative, the seed of a war or of a virtue, a metaphor Latin uses far more readily than English. The second is genealogical, and it dominates biblical Latin: semen Abrahae, "the seed of Abraham", meaning descendants, which is a Hebrew idiom carried through the Greek into the Vulgate rather than a native Roman turn of phrase. English seminar, seminary, disseminate and semen all come from it, the last narrowing to one sense only.
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semen: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "semen" (seed; offspring, descendants): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is taught in chapter 8, lesson 4: semen, nosco, decus and 7 more words.