sem

See also: SEM, Sem, sém, sèm, sem-, and семь

Translingual

Symbol

sem

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-5 language code for Semitic languages.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛm/

• Audio (southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛm

Noun

sem (plural sems)

1. Clipping of seminary.
2. Clipping of semester.
3. Clipping of semicolon.

Anagrams

• EMS, EMs, Ems, MES, MEs, MSE, SME, ems, mes, mes-

Bahnar

Etymology

From Proto-Bahnaric *ceː₂m, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cim ~ *ciim ~ *ciəm ~ *caim ~ *cum (“bird”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛːm/

Noun

sem 

1. bird

Catalan

Alternative forms

• som (Northern Catalan, standard)

Verb

sem

1. (Northern Catalan, Alghero) first-person plural present indicative form of ésser
2. (Northern Catalan, Alghero) first-person plural present indicative form of ser

Chinese

Etymology

From clipping of English semester.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sem⁶

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sem⁶
    • Yale: colloquial sounds not defined
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sem⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: sém⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛːm²²/

Noun

sem

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, university slang) semester (Classifier: 個／个 c)

   終於完sem喇。／终于完sem喇。 [Cantonese]  ―  zung¹ jyu¹ jyun⁴ sesem6 laa³. [Jyutping]  ―  The semester has finally ended.

References

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech sěmo, from Proto-Slavic *sěmo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɛm]

• audio

  (file)

Adverb

sem

1. hither (to here)

Eskayan

Numeral

sem

1. nine

Hungarian

Alternative forms

• se

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʃɛm]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛm

Conjunction

sem (clitic)

1. …, neither (or not…, either)

   Julit sem láttam. ― I didn’t see Juli, either. [aside from not having seen another person]

   Én sem láttam Julit. ― I didn’t see Juli, either. [aside from other people who haven't seen her]

2. not even

   Meg sem próbálta. ― S/he didn’t even try it.

Conjunction

sem (paired)

1. neither… nor…

   Sem te, sem ő nem jöhettek velem. ― Neither you nor s/he can come with me.

Usage notes

The word sem and nincs, nincsen (“it/there isn't”) are contracted into the forms sincs, sincsen (“it/there isn't, either”).

Derived terms

• semleges

Compound words

• hogysem
• korántsem
• mégsem
• mintsem
• semmi
• semmikor
• semmilyen
• senki
• sohasem
• sosem

 

Expressions

• a füle botját sem mozdítja
• ennek a fele sem tréfa
• szóra sem érdemes

 

See also

• koránt (used in the phrases korántsem, koránt sincs)

Further reading

• sem in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse sem (“as, like”), possibly from Proto-Germanic *samaz (“same, alike”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛːm/
• Rhymes: -ɛːm
• (before words beginning with a consonant) IPA^(key): /sɛm/

Conjunction

sem

1. (with a noun phrase) as, like

   Hann var sem guð meðal manna.

   He was like a god amongst men.

   Hár hennar var hvítt sem snjór.

   Her hair was white as snow.

   Hann er sem nýr.

   He is as [good as] new.

   Vista sem…

   Save as…

2. (with a clause) like, as if

   Svo virðist sem sjúkdómurinn sé arfgengur

   Is seems as though the disease is hereditary.

3. (relative, with a clause) who, which, that

   Þetta er maðurinn sem ég hitti í gær.

   That’s the man that I met yesterday.

   Þetta er konan sem barði mig.

   That’s the woman who hit me.

Synonyms

• (as, like, as if): eins og
• (which, that): er

Derived terms

• ekki er allt gull sem glóir
• láta sem vind um eyru þjóta
• samt sem áður
• sem allra best
• sem og
• sem sé/sem sagt
• þar sem (þars)
• því meira sem

 

Verb

sem (weak)

1. first-person singular present indicative of semja
2. second-person singular imperative of semja

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

sem

1. Alternative form of seem (“seam”)

Etymology 2

Noun

sem

1. Alternative form of seem (“load”)

Old Norse

Etymology 1

Possibly from Proto-Germanic *samaz (“same, alike”).

Alternative forms

• som, sum – late Old Norse

Conjunction

sem

1. as, the same, like

Descendants

• Icelandic: sem
• Faroese: sum (from East Nordic)
• Norwegian Nynorsk: (dialectal) sem, se
• Old Swedish: sum, som
  • Swedish: som
  • → Middle Norwegian: sum
    • Norwegian Nynorsk: som, sum; (dialectal) søm, so
• Danish: som
  • Norwegian Bokmål: som

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

sem

1. inflection of semja:
   1. first-person singular active present indicative
   2. second-person singular active imperative

References

• “sem”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Old Tupi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛm/

Verb

sem

1. to exit; to leave; to get out

   Asem 'y suí.

   I got out of the water.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese sen, from Latin sine, from Proto-Indo-European *sene.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsẽj̃/ [ˈsẽɪ̯̃]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsɐ̃j̃/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɐ̃j̃
• Homophone: cem
• Hyphenation: sem

Preposition

sem

2. -less; without (not having, containing, characteristic of, etc.)

   Antonym: com

   um livro sem capa ― a book without a cover

   casa sem janelas ― windowless house

4. (followed by infinitive) without (not doing or not having done something)

   Ele gosta de comer tudo sem dividir.

   He likes to eat everything without sharing.

   Ele atirou sem avisar ninguém.

   He shot without warning anyone.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:sem.

Synonyms

• (not having): desprovido de, falto de

Antonyms

• (not doing or having done something): use gerund (-ando, -endo, -indo)

Derived terms

• sem mais nem menos
• sem que

Descendants

• → Ambonese Malay: seng

Romani

Verb

sem

1. first-person singular present indicative of si

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Preposition

sem (Cyrillic spelling сем)

1. except, apart from, besides

Further reading

• “sem” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Slovene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sə́m/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *sěmo.

Adverb

sem

1. hither, over here (to here)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *esmь.

Verb

sə̏m

1. first-person singular present of bíti

Further reading

• “sem”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran

Tok Pisin

This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

Etymology

From English same.

Adjective

sem

1. same
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 2:25:

     Tasol tupela i no sem.

     →New International Version translation

Zou

Noun

sem

1. hair

References

• http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf