1. sēmen — Lewis & Short
sēmen, ĭnis, n.root sa-, sē-; cf.: sero, sevi; Saturnus, sator, etc..
I Seed.
1 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.—
2 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.—
3 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.—
B kat' e)coxh/n, spelt-seed, spelt, Plin. 18, 8, 19, § 82; 18, 24, 55, § 198; Col. 2, 12, 1; cf. Isid. Orig. 17, 3, 6.—
II Transf.
A 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.—
2 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.—
3 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.—
II Trop., as in all languages, seed, i. e. origin, occasion, ground, cause; of persons, an author, prompter, insligator, etc. (class.).
(a) 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.—
(b) 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.