seem

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English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Middle English semen "to seem, befit, be becoming" from Old Norse sœma (“to conform to, beseem, befit”) (> Danish sømme (“beseem”)) from sœmr (“fitting, seemly”), from Proto-Germanic *sōmijaną (“to unite, fit”), akin to Old Norse sōmi (“honour”) ( > archaic Danish somme (“decent comportment”)), Old English sēman (“to reconcile, bring an agreement”), Old English sōm (“agreement”).

Pronunciation [edit]

Verb [edit]

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.
    He seems to be ill.
    Her eyes seem blue.
    • 2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”:
      So while Ralph generally seems to inhabit a different, more glorious and joyful universe than everyone else here his yearning and heartbreak are eminently relateable. Ralph sometimes appears to be a magically demented sprite who has assumed the form of a boy, but he’s never been more poignantly, nakedly, movingly human than he is here.
    • 1813 (14th C.): 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.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

Usage notes [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

to appear

Statistics [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

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