sēmen (noun N) : root sa-, sē-; cf.: sero, sevi; Saturnus, sator, etc..
* Seed.
* 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.
* Transf.
* Κατ̓ ἐξοχήν,spelt-seed, spelt, Plin. 18, 8, 19, § 82; 18, 24, 55, § 198; Col. 2, 12, 1; cf. Isid. Orig. 17, 3, 6.
* Trop., as in all languages, seed, i. e. origin, occasion, ground, cause; of persons, an author, prompter, insligator, etc. (class.).
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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, 18fin.: 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.