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|lshtext=<b>sēmen</b>: ĭnis, n. [[root]] sa-, sē-; cf.: [[sero]], sevi; [[Saturnus]], [[sator]], etc..<br /><b>I</b> Seed.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>1</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of plants, [[Cato]], R. R. 17; 27; 31 fin.; 34; Varr. R. R. 1, 40 sq.: [[semen]] manu spargere, Cic. Rosc. Am. 18, 50: [[terra]] [[semen]] excepit, id. Sen. 15, 51; id. N. D. 2, 32, 81; Ov. M. 1, 108; 7, 623 et saep.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of men, animals, etc., Plaut. Am. 5, 2, 9; Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 4; 2, 3, 4; 3, 7, 10 al.; Lucr. 4, 1031; 4, 1034 sq.; Cels. 4, 19; Ov. M. 1, 748; 15, 760 et saep.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>3</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Poet., of the elements of [[other]] bodies (of [[fire]], [[water]], stones, etc.): [[ignis]] semina convolvunt e nubibus, Lucr. 6, 201 sq.; 6, 444; 6, 507; 6, 841: quaerit [[pars]] semina flammae in venis silicis, Verg. A. 6, 6; Ov. M. 11, 144 et saep.: in animis [[quasi]] virtutum igniculi et semina, Cic. Fin. 5, 7, 18; so id. Div. 1, 3, 6: alicujus quaestionis, Liv. 40, 19.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>B</b> κατ ἐξοχήν,> [[spelt]]-[[seed]], [[spelt]], Plin. 18, 8, 19, § 82; 18, 24, 55, § 198; Col. 2, 12, 1; cf. Isid. Orig. 17, 3, 6.—<br /><b>II</b> Transf.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>A</b> A [[shoot]] used for propagating; a [[graft]], [[scion]], [[set]], [[slip]], [[cutting]], Varr. R. R. 1, 40, 5; Verg. G. 2, 354; Col. 3, 3, 4; 3, 4, 1; 5, 10, 1 et saep.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A [[stock]], [[race]] ([[very]] [[rare]]): [[genus]] ac [[semen]], Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 95; so ([[with]] [[genus]]) id. Phil. 4, 5, 13: ipsa [[regio]] semine orta, Liv. 1, 47: videndum, ut boni seminis [[pecus]] habeas, Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 4.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>3</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Posterity, [[progeny]], [[offspring]], [[child]] ([[poet]].): non tulit in cineres labi sua [[Phoebus]] eosdem Semina, sed natum flammis Eripuit, Ov. M. 2, 629; so, semina, id. ib. 10, 470; 15, 216; id. F. 2, 383; id. Tr. 2, 415; Sen. Herc. Fur. 987; Vulg. Gen. 15, 5 et saep.—<br /><b>II</b> Trop., as in all languages, [[seed]], i. e. [[origin]], [[occasion]], [[ground]], [[cause]]; of persons, an [[author]], [[prompter]], insligator, etc. ([[class]].).<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(a)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sing. (the predom. signif. in Cic.): [[stirps]] ac [[semen]] malorum omnium, Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30: bellorum civilium [[semen]] et [[causa]], id. Off. 2, 8, 29, cf. ut in seminibus est [[causa]] arborum et stirpium: sic hujus belli [[semen]] ut fuisti (for [[which]], [[just]] [[before]]: causam belli in personā tuā constitisse), id. Phil. 2, 22, 55: sceleris, Plaut. Rud. 2, 2, 21.—<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>(b)</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Plur.: in animis, [[quasi]] virtutum igniculi [[atque]] semina, Cic. Fin. 5, 7, 18: [[quod]] et [[Zeno]] in suis commentariis [[quasi]] semina quaedam sparsisset, id. Div. 1, 3, 6: si virtutes sunt, ad quas nobis initia quaedam ac semina sunt concessa naturā, Quint. 2, 20, 6: loquaces, seditiosos, semina discordiarum (tribunos [[plebis]]), Liv. 3, 19, 5: vix [[tamen]] [[illa]] semina erant futurae luxuriae, the [[small]] beginnings, id. 39, 6, 9; cf. id. 40, 19, 9: discordiae, Tac. H. 1, 53; 4, 18 fin.: belli, id. A. 4, 27; 16, 7: rebellionis, id. ib. 11, 19: [[motus]], id. ib. 3, 41. futuri exitii, id. ib. 4, 60: ejus facultatis, Quint. 2, 20, 6: [[quamquam]] semina ejus (translationis) quaedam [[apud]] Aristotelen reperiuntur, id. 3, 6, 60: quaedam probationum, id. 4, 2, 54: veteris eloquentiae, Tac. Or. 33; Sen. Ep. 90, 29.
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