seemv.²

Brit.

/siːm/, U.S.

/sim/

Forms: Middle English sem, Middle English–1500s seme, Middle English syme, sieme, Middle English–1600s seeme, Middle English ceme, Middle English–1600s (1800s dialect) seime, 1500s seym(me, semme, 1500s–1600s seame, 1500s, 1700s Scottish seim, Middle English– seem; past tense Middle English, 1500s semde, Middle English sempt(e, 1500s semt.

Origin: A borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymon: Norse sǿma.

Etymology: Middle English sēme, < Old Norse sǿma (modern Icelandic sǽma to honour, conform to, Middle Swedish söma to befit, beseem, Danish sømme reflexive to beseem), < søm-r ( < prehistoric *sōmi-) fitting, seemly; compare the cognate Old Norse sóma (past tense subjunctive sǿmðe) to beseem, befit. From the same grade of the root are Old English sóm reconciliation (whence séman seem v.¹); the ablaut-variant *sam- appears in same adj., samen adv., together.

†I. To be suitable, befit.

1. To be suitable to, befit, beseem. Often with adverb, well, best, fair, etc.

a. quasi-transitive with object originally dative.

(a) impersonal and quasi-impersonal with the real subject expressed by a clause or infinitive phrase.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > suit or be suitable for [verb (transitive)] > be fitting or proper for

riseeOE

i-riseOE

seemc1175

becomea1230

i-semec1275

comec1325

beseema1425

besitc1449

befitc1460

betidea1555

beset1567

due?1606

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 66 & te bitæche icc off þiss boc. Heh wikenn. alls itt semeþþ. All to þurrhsekenn illc an ferrs.

a1240 Wohunge in Old Eng. Hom. I. 271 For he þurh þe þat wisdom art al þis world wrahte and dihteð hit and dealeð as hit best semeð.

c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2916 Hire semes curteys forto be, For she is fayr so flour on tre.

1350–1400 Sir Beues (E) 1746 He took hys scheeld & hys spere As it semyd a good rydere.

c1400 Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. xx. 58 It semes a kynge to haue discrescioun.

a1425 Arderne's Treat. Fistula 6 It semeth any discrete man y-cladde with clerkis clothing for to occupie gentil mennez bordez.

a1470 W. Gregory Chron. in Hist. Coll. Citizen London (Camden) 129 As hyt syttythe and semyþe so worthy a prynce and a pryncesse.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xi. iii. 37 Gif he pretendis in batale with a brand To end the weyr,..heir semyt hym vnder scheyld With wapynnis to recontre me in feyld.

a1529 J. Skelton Poems against Garnesche in Poet Wks. (1843) I. 129 It semyth nat thy pyllyd pate Agenst a poyet lawreat To take vpon the for to scryue.

1601 J. Weever Mirror of Martyrs sig. Aviii But ill it seem'd me them to blame, though I Censur'd myselfe like mine owne enemy.

(b) with person or thing as subject.

ΚΠ

c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 11914 Nys non on lyue, cayser ne kynge. Þat semeþ so wel his beryng.

c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 564 Þenne he seiȝ a whit kniht comynge him a-ȝeines..A red cros on his scheld seemed him feire.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3311 Bot ai þe quils he ne fan To be-hald þat leue maidan, How all hir dedes can hir seme.

?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 7355 Him semyd wele his abyte.

1584 T. Lodge Alarum against Vsurers Ep. A iij Who..delighted in such clothing as seemed y^e place where he soiourned.

1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 35 A good old woman..who did farre surpas The rest in honest mirth, that seem'd her well.

1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 16 Bid them seeke, Actions that seeme them better.

b. const. to, for, with.

ΚΠ

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 5090 Preostes heo þer setten ase þer-to mihte semen.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9111 He wald men raf it al to dust, Quar-thoru it semes wel wit þis þat he wan merci of his mis.

c1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. xiv. 56 Þerfore a kynge sholde vse cleþynge and ornementz dere, fayre, and straunge, for it semes to a kynges prorogatyue to passe oþer, so þat his dignite þerby be maad fairer.

1533 J. Bellenden tr. Livy Hist. Rome (1903) II. v. xx. 215 I wald nane of ȝow belevit þat I am cumin as Ignorant or mysknawing sic thingis as semys to my estate.

c. absol.

ΚΠ

c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 115 He seiȝ þe peple þorw peine passen in-to helle..and þe fader þouȝte þat hit seemede nouȝt.

c1400 Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. cv. 106 And right as þe Skryueyn ys enterpretour of þy wyl... So it nedys..þat he besye hym to þy profyt and to þy worschipe as it semys.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 66/1 Cemyn or becemyn, decet.

?1518 A. Barclay tr. D. Mancinus Myrrour Good Maners sig. Hi It semeth nat in strete, as palfray to praunce.

1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay sig. Evii Thane he is veralie God for that seemis [printed sennis] noth that ony suld be placit at the richt hand of God the fader, bot giff he war God.

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. May 158 Nought seemeth sike strife.

1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. A3^v For it seemeth much in a King, if..he can take hold of any superficiall Ornaments and shewes of learning.

†2. reflexive and intransitive. To vouchsafe, deign. [So Middle Swedish söma (reflexive).] Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > agreement > consent > consent or comply [verb (reflexive)]

seema1300

consent1340

submita1387

endeigna1400

agree1421

greec1440

apply1482

condescend1489

the mind > language > speech > agreement > consent > [verb (intransitive)] > deign

deign1297

seema1300

dedeign1423

condescendc1460

a1300 Cursor Mundi 23913 I prai leuedi if þou wald seme, To tak þis littel werc to quem.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17622 Wald þou me leif freind te seme For to cum wit us to mele.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12445 ‘Na’, sco said, ‘þat es na nede,..For he þat sent him vs a-mang To be born, he wald him seme, Fra wick men ai wel him yeme.’

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11042 Blisced be þou ai, marie!.. Þat þou ne [? read þe] seme wald me to se.

II. To have a semblance or appearance.Normally with indirect object of the person to whom the appearance is presented; where no object is expressed one may ordinarily be supplied. In the present tense, ‘seems’ is often equivalent to ‘seems to me’, which expresses belief in the truth of the appearance predicated. Where the object expressed or implied is not in the first person, or where the verb is in the past tense, there is usually, on the other hand, the notion of mere appearance as opposed to fact.

* As personal verb.

3. With noun, adjective, or phrase as complement: to appear to be, to be apparently (what is expressed by the complement).Very often, esp. when the complement is a noun or a phrase, it is introduced by the infinitive to be: see examples in 4a.

a. without object expressed.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem

seeOE

seema1225

seema1300

feel1581

would seem1754

a1225 St. Marher. 9 His grisliche teeð semden of swart irn, ant his twa ehnen steappre þene steorren.

a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Titus) (1963) 28 For ful of angoisse was tat ilke ned swat..þat hit semde [?c1225 Cleo. þuchte] read blod.

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 1322 For welthes, þat men has here at wille, Semes tokenyng of endeles pyn.

?a1366 Romaunt Rose 1011 As the mone lyght, Ageyn whom all the sterres semen But smale candels.

1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 62 He..doth to seme of gret decerte Thing which is litel worth withinne.

a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Merlin (1904) I. l. 1000 And with-jnne tho x mounthes he was so bold, That thyke tyme he semede two ȝeres old.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Li^v Makynge bodyes of ayer to compasse a man & make hym seme a horse or an other beest.

1570 T. Wilson tr. Demosthenes 3 Orations iii. 63 That thing which I shall say, though it seeme against the opinion of all men: yet it shal be true for all that.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 672 What seem'd his head The likeness of a Kingly Crown had on.

1667 S. Pepys Diary 27 June (1974) VIII. 298 A silly rogue, but one that would seem a gentleman.

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1646 (1955) II. 488 Trees, on which Bacchus seemes riding as it were in Triumph every Autumn.

1742 E. W. Montagu Let. 22 Mar. in Lady M. W. Montagu Lett. & Wks. (1837) (Philadelphia ed.) II. 75 Mr. Gibson says..that he seems another man.

1807 G. Crabbe Birth Flattery in Poems 193 What seem'd the Door, each entering Guest withstood; What seem'd a Window, was but painted Wood.

1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xxxiii. 354 Mr. Justice Stareleigh..seemed all face and waistcoat.

1884 R. W. Church Bacon ix. 220 Easy and unstudied as his writing seems, it was [etc.].

b. const. to; formerly also †with simple dative.

ΚΠ

1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 282 But of all sights, none seemes him yet more strange Then the..Exchange.

1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 240 Thus seimes to me ane guidlie companie.

1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lxxxiii. 2 This to the fond weak fool seemeth a mighty delight.

c. Followed by †as, as if, as though.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem

seeOE

seema1225

seema1300

feel1581

would seem1754

a1300 Cursor Mundi 2863 Þar..es noght now bot a stinkand see, Þat semes als a lake of hell.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9928 Þe thrid [colour] Als ros þat es als in springing, And semes als a brennand thing.

1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus Famous Hyst. i. f. 3^v The Lady seyng the fond and vndiscrete treacherye of her husband made little adoe, and seemed as though shee had seene nothing.

1673 J. Dryden Assignation iii. ii. 32 Stay, there's a Dance beginning, and she seems as if she wou'd make one.

1730 A. Gordon tr. F. S. Maffei Compl. Hist. Anc. Amphitheatres 320 It is probable that the Roofs of these Lodges were under the great Windows... I dare not however affirm it, for the Medals seem as if they came up even to the very Top of all.

1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert xviii. 223 Having yielded to his persuasions and arguments, Sonia seemed as though she were only anxious to forget past troubles.

4. With infinitive: To appear to be or to do something.

a. with to be. (Cf. 3.) Also in weakened sense (chiefly interrogative).

ΚΠ

1388 Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) Acts xvii. 18 And othere seiden, He semeth to be a tellere of newe fendis.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5698 A yongman þat semed to be an egypician.

c1450 Mirk's Festial 230/18 This fayth hade our lady passyng all oþer; for þeras hit was semyng forto be ynpossybull þat scho schuld conceyue wythout cowpule of man [etc.].

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. iiij Luther hath..preached also some thinges that seme to be hereticall.

1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxviii. 165 Exile..seemeth not in its own nature, without other circumstances, to be a Punishment.

1756 F. Brooke Old Maid No. 29. 172 Young women are not the angels they seem to be.

1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms i. 223 Fair creature! Thou dost seem to be Some wandering spirit of the sea.

1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xviii. 154 Of all Sedley's opponents..the most determined and obstinate seemed to be John Osborne.

1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues III. 342 Many..think that you should follow virtue in order that you may seem to be good.

1901 A. K. McClure ‘Abe’ Lincoln's Yarns & Stories 65 ‘What seems to be the matter?’ inquired Lincoln with all the calmness and self-possession he could muster.

1958 B. W. Aldiss Non-stop iv. iii. 219 ‘What seems to be the trouble?’ he asked.

1974 P. G. Wodehouse Aunts aren't Gentlemen xvi. 134 My voice shook a bit as I applied for further details. ‘What seems to be the trouble?’ I asked.

1977 G. Markstein Chance Awakening xix. 55 He dialled 100..‘What seems to be the trouble?’ asked the operator.

b. with other verbs.

ΚΠ

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5749 Als did þe tre þat semed to bren, And þan was þar na fir wit-in.

c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 21 And al oþer lawis þat semen to sey, þat man how to curse for crime of vowtre, þeft, and swilk oþer.

1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 110^v Of Uenus stocke she semde to spring, the rote of beauties grace.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) i. i. 4 Of Gouernment, the properties to vnfold, Would seeme in me t'affect speech & discourse.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 98 The Parian Marble, there, shall seem to move, In breathing Statues.

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 472. ⁋3 The following Letter seems to be written by a Man of Learning.

1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 248 The Christian..dares not feign a zeal, Or seem to boast a fire he does not feel.

1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 417 These facts are in perfect accordance with another fact which seems to deserve consideration.

1895 Esher in Law Times Rep. 73 701/2 The statute..does not seem upon a true construction of it to support the assertions for which it was cited.

c. With omission of to. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde i. 747 Eek som-tyme it is craft to seme flee Fro thing which in effect men hunte faste.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xi. xvi. 2 Ane huge clamour that tyde did rys on hycht, That semyt smyte the goldin starnis brycht.

d. Occasionally would seem: cf. the impersonal use 7f.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem

seeOE

seema1225

seema1300

feel1581

would seem1754

1754 W. Warburton View Bolingbroke's Philos.: Lett. 1st & 2nd ii. 94 He has refused no arms, we see, to combat the Revelations God hath actually given. He would seem to relax a little of his severity, as to those which God may possibly give.

e. In modern use, the combination of seems with an infinitive is often equivalent to the finite verb qualified by ‘probably’, ‘if the evidence may be trusted’.

ΚΠ

1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 484/2 Sicily seems to contain no iron.

1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People ii. §8. 102 Henry's policy seems, for good or evil, to have been throughout his own.

f. To appear to oneself; to imagine oneself, or think one perceives oneself, to (do something). Also (colloquial), in negative contexts (preceded by can): to seem unable.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem > seem to oneself

seem1638

1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 22 These Images doe follow us so close, that wee seeme to travell, to saile, to bestirre our selves mightily in a hot fight.

1713 A. Pope Windsor-Forest 12 I seem thro' consecrated Walks to rove.

1799 W. Wordsworth Poems on Affect. ix. 7 Still I seem To love thee more and more.

1810 P. B. Shelley Posthumous Fragm. M. Nicholson 40 I seem again to share thy smile, I seem to hang upon thy tone.

1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues IV. 10 On such occasions Plato seems to see young men and maidens meeting together.

1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd II. xiii. 168 Troy could hardly seem to believe her to be his proud wife Bathsheba.

1898 G. Gissing Human Odds & Ends 57 As a lad, I couldn't stick to anything—couldn't seem to put my heart into any sort of work.

1937 I. Baird John xix. 229 He couldn't seem to get the boy out of his head.

1969 M. Pugh Last Place Left vii. 44 Somehow I can't seem to get warm.

†g. Instead of the infinitive, a clause was in the 14–16 c. sometimes used, as if the verb were impersonal. (Cf. 7) Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 168 And tournys sa mony tyme his stede, That semys off ws he had na dred.

1565 T. Stapleton Fortresse of Faith f. 77^v Well furnished with all such bookes as Caluin had writen or any other which semed might serue their purpose.

1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia v. 206 She..Durst not..seeme she did his teares discerne.

5. To appear to exist or to be present. Chiefly in the inversion there seems (followed by the subject); otherwise poetic or rhetorical. Also, in the same sense, there seems to be.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem > seem to exist

seemc1400

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §25. 34 Now yif so be þat the semith to long a tarienge..thanne whaite whan the sonne is in any other degree of the zodiak.

c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn Prol. l. 446 So wele they make seme soth, when þey falssest ly.

c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 2775 They make semen (as to a mannys sight) Abominabill wormys.

c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) xxi. 64 He shall make to seme before you a grete rynnynge riuer.

a1674 T. Traherne Person in Poems (1966) 40 Mens Hands then Angels Wings Are truer wealth..For those but seem.

1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. ii. xiv. 232 So far as the inheritance can be evidently traced back, there seems no need of calling in this presumptive proof.

1831 W. Scott Count Robert vi, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. III. 129 ‘I regret,’ said Achilles, ‘that there should have seemed any cause for such precautions.’

1883 Law Times 20 Oct. 409/1 Some fifteen years ago..there seemed a general consensus of opinion that inventors were a nuisance.

†6. Of a real existence: To be manifested, come to view, be seen; = appear v. 1, 9 Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > manifestation > [verb (intransitive)]

seem1340

to prove wellc1387

showa1393

appearc1400

to stare (a person) in the face1510

sparkle1597

shinea1616

transpear1645

relate1663

it is visible1693

to speak out1846

notice1961

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 6022 Bot many other þar [at the day of doom] sal seme, Þat sal nouther be demed ne deme.

c1374 G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iii. met. xi. (Sk.) 18 And thanne alle the derknesse of his misknowinge shal seme more evidently to sighte of his understondinge thanne the sonne ne semeth to sighte with-oute-forth.

c1440 York Myst. iii. 20 For loue made I þis worlde alone, Therfore my loue shalle in it seme.

1575 J. Smith Misticall Deuise sig. Aviii^v My Angel shall be with you.., And I my selfe will surely seeme, for all your soules to care.

** Impersonal uses.

7. it seems. (In all uses, admitting a construction with to or †simple dative.)

a. with the real subject expressed by a clause: = It appears, it is apparently true (that); it is seen (that). it seems not (†nay) = ‘it seems that it is not so’. it seems so, so it seems = ‘it seems that it is so’.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > be likely [verb (impersonal)]

it seemsa1225

seem1570

seems to me1888

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem

thinkeOE

it seemsa1225

meseems?a1425

it seems1442

beseem1470

it should seem1525

it would seem1826

seems to me1888

a1225 St. Marher. 5 Lauerd..salue me mine wunden þat hit ne sem nowðer ne suteli omi samblant þat ich derf drehe.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2169 It semet wel ðat ge spies ben, And in-to ðis lond cumen to sen.

c1386 G. Chaucer Melibeus ⁋355 And al be it so þat it seme that thou art in siker place, yet shaltow alwey do thy diligence in kepynge of thy persone.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10441 Ne wat þou noght, it semes nai, Quat a fest it es to dai?

c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xvii. 184 And righte as it semethe to us, that thei ben undre us, righte so it semethe hem, that wee ben undre hem.

1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xxii. 480 Yf it semeth you that I have doon amys, soo take ye amendes vpon me.

1530 W. Tyndale Pract. Prelates sig. Ivij It semeth me, that it might be dispensed with in certayne cases.

1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iv. i. 191 It seemes to me, That yet we sleepe, we dreame.

1638 R. Baker tr. J. L. G. de Balzac New Epist. II. 52 It seemes you thought not our walkes pleasant enough for you.

1687 Lady Russell Let. 5 Oct. It seems I must remit seeing you, as you once kindly intended.

1747 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 541/1 It seems also that capt. Callis..fell in with and engaged this Spanish ship.

1842 Ld. Tennyson Lady Clara Vere de Vere in Poems (new ed.) I. 158 Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 'Tis only noble to be good.

1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert ix. 86 It seems to me..that looking into holes is a monotonous occupation.

b. with adjective complement and extraposed subject infinitive. (Also with ellipsis of the infinitive.)

ΚΠ

1439 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 128 Like as in that partye after their conscience and good discrecions it shall seme hem necessarie for to be done and executed for the most ease of his entent.

1512 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 4 As it shall seym to my said feoffees mooste expediente.

1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus Famous Hyst. i. f. 6^v He besought them humbly y^t since it semed them best to deale so roughly w^t him they would graunt him liberty in his richest aray, to sing a song.

1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxix. 169 No man dare to obey the Soveraign Power farther than it shall seem good in his own eyes.

c. followed by as if, as though.

ΚΠ

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2131 Wende forþ in þi way, It semes astow were wode, To wede.

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2097 It semeþ by his lat As he hir neuer had sene Wiþ siȝt.

1853 J. H. Newman Hist. Sketches (1873) II. i. iii. 132 It seemed as though the Turks had come to their end and were dying out.

1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert vii. 63 It seemed to Jim as though the hour would never arrive at which the steamer was timed to get under way.

d. Parenthetically. Now often with somewhat of the sense ‘So I am informed’, or ‘As it appears from rumour or report’.

ΚΠ

1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xviii. 117 Her suster, as it semed, cam softly walkynge.

1447 O. Bokenham Agatha in Lyvys Seyntys 369 For in hys conscyence ful confuse ys he And, as yt semyth, at hys wyttys ende.

1525 Sampson in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. I. 263 His moderacion off gesture, cowntenance, and os it semyd allso of inwarde intente and mynde.

1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor ii. iii. sig. E4 Then you were a seruitor at both it seemes .

1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 285 They were provided, it seems, only for the Ambassador Brugman, and his Ladies.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 305. ¶8 Six Professors, who it seems, are to be Speculative Statesmen.

1829 T. B. Macaulay Mill on Govt. in Edinb. Rev. Mar. 175 There is still, however, it seems, a hope for mankind.

1876 W. E. Gladstone Homeric Synchronism 167 Who lived before the close, as it seems, of the sixteenth century b.c.

†e. = ‘it seems good’. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > advantage > expediency > be expedient or advisable [verb (intransitive)] > seem advisable

it seems1557

1557 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Diall Princes 157 This case was so horrible, that it seemed to many not to speake it.

f. it should seem, it would seem: used to express somewhat more of hesitation or uncertainty than is expressed by it seems.The older form, it should seem, is perhaps slightly archaic, and is now chiefly used to express a guarded (or sometimes an ironical) acceptance of statements made by others. It would seem does not appear in our quots. before the 19th cent. (but cf. the cognate use 4d).

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem

thinkeOE

it seemsa1225

meseems?a1425

it seems1442

beseem1470

it should seem1525

it would seem1826

seems to me1888

1525 Bp. J. Clerk in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. I. 310 As for the maters off France, it shold seim that his Holynes rekonythe not gretly howe youe determyn them.

1606 P. Holland in tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars Annot. 31* For it should seeme that the Game of Tali heere mentioned was Pleistoboleuda [sic].

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations II. v. ii. 449 It should not, however, seem very difficult to distinguish those two parts of the rent from one another.

1816 W. Wordsworth Prose Wks. (1876) II. 11 It should seem that the ancients thought in this manner.

1826 R. H. Froude Remains (1838) I. 154 But, with regard to writings, as it would seem, the case is different.

1829 W. Whewell in J. M. Douglas Life & Corr. W. Whewell (1881) 129 All official papers were brought there: and among the rest it would seem these Cologne ones.

1875 A. C. Swinburne Ess. & Stud. Pref. 10 The accident of personal intimacy, it should seem, deprives you of all right to express admiration of what you might allowably have found admirable in a stranger.

1902 J. Gairdner Eng. Church 16th Cent. (1903) iv. 54 From all this it would seem that he could not have been much under fifty when he was compelled to abjure.

†g. ? Perfect tense with is; ? or passive. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem

thinkeOE

it seemsa1225

meseems?a1425

it seems1442

beseem1470

it should seem1525

it would seem1826

seems to me1888

1442 T. Beckington Corr. (Rolls) II. 191 Sir, hit is semed right expedient unto suche as loveth the wele of the king [etc.].

1442 T. Beckington Corr. (Rolls) II. 219 As soon as hit shall be seemed unto you and hym to be doon.

8. The it of the impersonal verb is sometimes omitted.

a. with the dative preceding the verb, thee seemeth, us seemed, etc. See also meseems v. and cf. methinks v. Obsolete or archaic.

ΚΠ

c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋123 Right so the synful man that loueth his synne, hym semeth, that it is to him moost sweete of any thyng.

1413 Pilgr. Sowle (1483) iv. v. 60 That other shalle answere as hyr semeth good.

1512 R. Copland tr. Knyght of Swanne xxxviii. sig. Piv And than her semed that the two fyrst had [etc.].

1594 R. Carew tr. J. Huarte Exam. Mens Wits xv. 278 Eue fixed her eies on the tree forbidden, and her seemed that it was sweet in tast.

1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. IV 396 Still awhile himseemed That of that fair close, those white limbs he dreamed.

1871 D. G. Rossetti Blessed Damozel (rev. ed.) iii, in Poems Herseemed she scarce had been a day One of God's choristers.

b. The prefixed dative sometimes was used (? by confusion) with reference to the subject of the appearance, so that the impersonal him, her seems became = he, she seems (senses 3, 4). Obsolete.

ΚΠ

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3284 Þe formast was vnlaghter milde, Hir semed na wight to be wilde.

1413 Pilgr. Sowle (1859) i. xxxiii. 37 Hyr semed wel a lady of ful huge estate, as duchesse, or pryncesse.

c1440 Ipomydon 280 The lady byheld Ipomydon, Hym semyd wele a gentil man.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xii. 147 Thame semyt men forsuth, I hicht, That had fayndit thair fayis in ficht.

a1500 Chester Pl. (Shaks. Soc.) II. 51 Hym seemes wearye on his waye.

†c. with dative following. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

a1400–50 Wars Alex. 3196 Semes ȝow noȝt it suffice my sorowe with-out, Þat as a bitand brand me brettens with-in.

c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 2106 Thanne semed me ther was a perlement At Atthenes vp on certeyn poynt and caas.

†d. what, how seemeth you? = what do you think? Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > making inquiries [phrase]

how so?a1375

what, how seemeth you?1485

what reck?a1513

what is the matter?c1520

what about ——1662

what's the row?1810

how come?1848

whassa1906

since when?1907

what'sa matter1935

1485 W. Caxton tr. Paris & Vienne (1957) 73 What semeth you of the wysedom of my fader.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin ii. 28 Lete eche man by hym-self telle me what hym semeth in this mater.

a1533 Ld. Berners tr. Arthur of Brytayn (?1560) lxxx. sig. Xiii How semeth you by the knightes of this countre.

e. After as or than.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > be likely [verb (impersonal)]

it seemsa1225

seem1570

seems to me1888

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have (specific) appearance [verb (intransitive)] > seem

thinkeOE

beseem?c1225

semblec1325

show1340

supposea1393

appeara1425

resemble?a1425

think1425

seem1570

'pear1851

1570 T. Wilson tr. Demosthenes 3 Orations vi. 69 As seemeth to me.

1611 Bible (King James) Jer. xviii. 4 So he made it againe another vessell as seemed good to the potter to make it.

a1625 T. Pont Topogr. Acct. Cunningham (1858) 22 The forsaid Richard being, as vald seime, touched vith compunctione.

1911 N.E.D. at Seem Mod. If he did so, as seems likely enough, he was excusable. He spoke more strongly than seemed justifiable.

†f. poetic in occasional uses. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 11764 Yn tyfed wurdys þat slyked are, Semeþ þy synnes þat þey noȝt were.

1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 216 But neither sword nor dagger he did beare, Seemes that no foes reuengement he did feare.

1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia iii. 84 And yet now seemes that he doth meane, From cares of warres his thoughts to weane.

g. colloquial or informal, esp. in seems to me.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > be likely [verb (impersonal)]

it seemsa1225

seem1570

seems to me1888

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem

thinkeOE

it seemsa1225

meseems?a1425

it seems1442

beseem1470

it should seem1525

it would seem1826

seems to me1888

1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Children viii. 55 Seems to me women get like dogs—they get their lessons pretty well fixed in their minds after a time.

†III. To think or deem, and related uses.

a. transitive. To think, deem, imagine. With obj.-clause, object and infinitive or complement; also absol. to seem good = to think good (see good adj. 7b). Obsolete.The early examples in which the subject is a noun might be referred to 8a, from which this sense arose by conversion of the prefixed indirect object into the subject; but unequivocal instances with nominative pronoun occur often in the 15th cent.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > supposition, surmise > suppose, surmise [verb (transitive)]

ween971

readOE

aweena1275

guessc1380

supposec1384

seemc1386

imaginec1405

presupposec1443

deem1470

surmise1509

suspectc1550

doubt1568

expect1592

s'pose1632

fancy1672

sus1958

c1386 G. Chaucer Squire's Tale 193 It was a ffairye, as al the peple semed.

1428 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 79 The residue of all my godes..I be-quethe to be distribued..like as myn executours seme best.

c1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 8054 She semed Darel Iusted wel.

c1485 Digby Myst., Mor. Wisd. 610 These thynges be now so conuersaunt, we seme it no shame.

1493 Festivall (1515) 57 Euer whan the bysshop loked on her he semed her so fayre y^t he was gretely tempted on her.

1512 R. Copland tr. Knyght of Swanne v. sig. Cj If you seme it good I shal make her to waste & sle the childe.

a1525 G. Myll Spectakle of Luf in Bannatyne Misc. (1836) II. 128 Ane askit him quhat he semyt of a woman?

a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1537) sig. Kk7^v Fynally, seyng that Rome was Rome, he was demanded how he semed therby.

1627 G. Hakewill Apologie i. ii. 17 Possunt, quia posse videntur. They can because they seeme they can.

b. To think fit. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > approve of, accept, or sanction [verb (transitive)]

loveeOE

underfoc1000

underfong?c1225

undertakea1250

provec1300

allowa1325

favour1340

approvec1380

seem?c1450

conprovec1503

avow1530

rectify1567

annuate1585

to be for1590

sancite1597

improve1603

applauda1616

acclamate1624

resenta1646

own1649

comprobate1660

sanction1797

likea1825

approbate1833

to hold with (arch. of, on, for)1895

agree1900

endorse1914

condone1962

?c1450 in G. J. Aungier Hist. & Antiq. Syon Monastery (1840) 258 The unresonable grudgers schalle abstayne them from that kende of mete [etc.] that they grudge aȝenste, after that the presidente semethe it for to be doon.

1471 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 443 I wolle spende xx d., or as ye seme, to haue the sertayn off euery thyng her-in.

1612 B. Jonson Alchemist i. iii. sig. C3 And Beneath your threshold, bury me a Loade-stone To draw in Gallants, that weare spurres: The rest, They'll seeme to follow.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	seem
释义	seemn. Etymology: < seem v.² ? Obsolete or dialect (chiefly Scottish) Seeming, semblance, appearance. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > [noun] > seeming semblant?c1225 coloura1325 countenance1362 appearancec1386 seemc1440 fair seeming1484 resemblant1485 seeming1576 apparition1613 semblancea1616 imposture1643 verisimile1652 seemingness1656 c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 452/2 Semynge, or semys, apparencia. ?1549 in N. Pocock Troubles connected Prayer Bk. (1884) (Camden) 147 The innocent that have been seduced under the colour and seame of good. 1596 B. Griffin Fidessa lviii. sig. E5^v The fairest good in seeme, but fowlest ill. 1730 A. Ramsay Tea-table Misc. (ed. 5) 213 His seim in Thrang of fiercest Stryfe, When Winner ay the same. 1812 J. Austen Let. 29 Nov. (1995) 196 It [sc. a cloak] is to be Grey Woollen & cost ten shillings. I hope you like the sim of it. 1837 Wilson's Hist. Tales Borders III. 131/1 There comes slowly, as if frae the womb o' a cloud o' mountain mist, the seim o' a turreted abbey. 1913 H. P. Cameron tr. Thomas à Kempis Of Imitation of Christ ii. vii. 63 Ye'se sune be begunkit, gin ye regaird allenarlie the ootrin seim o' men. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2019). † seemadj. Forms: In Middle English seme. Origin: A borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymon: Norse sém-r. Etymology: < Old Norse sém-r: see seem v.² Obsolete. a. Seemly, proper, fitting. ΘΚΠ society > morality > dueness or propriety > [adjective] goodOE proper?c1225 felea1250 featc1325 seeming1338 rightful1340 thriftyc1386 sittingc1390 duea1393 truea1398 goodly1398 convenienta1400 wella1400 seemc1400 likelyc1425 fitc1440 tallc1440 befalling1542 fittinga1616 the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [adjective] > seemly or proper seemly?c1225 comelya1350 seemc1400 ablea1500 setting1535 decent1545 civil1582 proper1738 gradely1763 decorous1792 nice1799 correctc1800 proprietous1815 the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > pleasing fitness > [adjective] > seemly or decorous seemly?c1225 comelya1350 seemc1400 setting1535 comingc1540 decent1545 civil1582 handsome1583 mensefula1598 sprunt1631 semblable1647 proper1738 orthodox1755 decorous1792 comme il faut1818 wise-like1820 c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1085 Let þe ladieȝ be fette, to lyke hem þe better; Þer watȝ seme solace by hem-self stille. c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 1810 Ande clannes is his comfort, and coyntyse he louyes, & þose þat seme arn & swete schyn se his face. a1425 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Galba) l. 28015 Ȝe ladys..þat stodis hals and hare to hew,..Forto mak ȝow semeand [a1400 Vesp. semle and] quaint. b. quasi-adv. ΚΠ c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 190 Þat gracios gay with-outen galle, So smoþe, so smal, so seme slyȝt. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online December 2021). † seemv.¹ Forms: In Middle English seme. Etymology: Old English séman ( < prehistoric sōmjan ), < sóm* agreement. (More commonly geséman : see i-seme v.) Obsolete. rare. 1. transitive. To settle (a dispute), reconcile (contending parties). ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > bringing about concord or peace > bring to peace (strife or discord) [verb (transitive)] > reconcile (people) seema1000 saughtc1000 saughtela1122 accordlOE i-sehtnec1175 saughtenc1175 to bring, make, set at onec1300 peasec1300 reconcilec1390 corda1400 pacifyc1500 agree1530 reconciliate1539 gree1570 atone1597 compose1597 even1620 to build bridges1886 a1000 Canons of Edgar vii, in B. Thorpe Anc. Laws Eng. (1840) II. 246 Nan sacu þe betweox preostan si ne beo gescoten to worldmanna some, ac seman & sibbian heora agene geferan. a1250 Owl & Night. (Jesus Oxf.) 187 Þo quaþ þe vle, Hwo schal vs seme? 2. transitive. To ratify, confirm (an agreement). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > statement > ratification or confirmation > confirm or ratify [verb (transitive)] > an agreement fasteneOE seemc1275 c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2125 Heo makeden ane sæt-nesse and mid aȝe heo semde. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2021). seemv.² Brit. /siːm/, U.S. /sim/ Forms: Middle English sem, Middle English–1500s seme, Middle English syme, sieme, Middle English–1600s seeme, Middle English ceme, Middle English–1600s (1800s dialect) seime, 1500s seym(me, semme, 1500s–1600s seame, 1500s, 1700s Scottish seim, Middle English– seem; past tense Middle English, 1500s semde, Middle English sempt(e, 1500s semt. Origin: A borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymon: Norse sǿma. Etymology: Middle English sēme, < Old Norse sǿma (modern Icelandic sǽma to honour, conform to, Middle Swedish söma to befit, beseem, Danish sømme reflexive to beseem), < søm-r ( < prehistoric sōmi-) fitting, seemly; compare the cognate Old Norse sóma* (past tense subjunctive sǿmðe) to beseem, befit. From the same grade of the root are Old English sóm reconciliation (whence séman seem v.¹); the ablaut-variant sam- appears in same adj., samen adv., together. †I. To be suitable, befit. 1. To be suitable to, befit, beseem. Often with adverb, well, best, fair, etc. a. quasi-transitive* with object originally dative. (a) impersonal and quasi-impersonal with the real subject expressed by a clause or infinitive phrase. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > suit or be suitable for [verb (transitive)] > be fitting or proper for riseeOE i-riseOE seemc1175 becomea1230 i-semec1275 comec1325 beseema1425 besitc1449 befitc1460 betidea1555 beset1567 due?1606 c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 66 & te bitæche icc off þiss boc. Heh wikenn. alls itt semeþþ. All to þurrhsekenn illc an ferrs. a1240 Wohunge in Old Eng. Hom. I. 271 For he þurh þe þat wisdom art al þis world wrahte and dihteð hit and dealeð as hit best semeð. c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2916 Hire semes curteys forto be, For she is fayr so flour on tre. 1350–1400 Sir Beues (E) 1746 He took hys scheeld & hys spere As it semyd a good rydere. c1400 Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. xx. 58 It semes a kynge to haue discrescioun. a1425 Arderne's Treat. Fistula 6 It semeth any discrete man y-cladde with clerkis clothing for to occupie gentil mennez bordez. a1470 W. Gregory Chron. in Hist. Coll. Citizen London (Camden) 129 As hyt syttythe and semyþe so worthy a prynce and a pryncesse. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xi. iii. 37 Gif he pretendis in batale with a brand To end the weyr,..heir semyt hym vnder scheyld With wapynnis to recontre me in feyld. a1529 J. Skelton Poems against Garnesche in Poet Wks. (1843) I. 129 It semyth nat thy pyllyd pate Agenst a poyet lawreat To take vpon the for to scryue. 1601 J. Weever Mirror of Martyrs sig. Aviii But ill it seem'd me them to blame, though I Censur'd myselfe like mine owne enemy. (b) with person or thing as subject. ΚΠ c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 11914 Nys non on lyue, cayser ne kynge. Þat semeþ so wel his beryng. c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 564 Þenne he seiȝ a whit kniht comynge him a-ȝeines..A red cros on his scheld seemed him feire. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3311 Bot ai þe quils he ne fan To be-hald þat leue maidan, How all hir dedes can hir seme. ?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 7355 Him semyd wele his abyte. 1584 T. Lodge Alarum against Vsurers Ep. A iij Who..delighted in such clothing as seemed y^e place where he soiourned. 1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 35 A good old woman..who did farre surpas The rest in honest mirth, that seem'd her well. 1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 16 Bid them seeke, Actions that seeme them better. b. const. to, for, with. ΚΠ c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 5090 Preostes heo þer setten ase þer-to mihte semen. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9111 He wald men raf it al to dust, Quar-thoru it semes wel wit þis þat he wan merci of his mis. c1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. xiv. 56 Þerfore a kynge sholde vse cleþynge and ornementz dere, fayre, and straunge, for it semes to a kynges prorogatyue to passe oþer, so þat his dignite þerby be maad fairer. 1533 J. Bellenden tr. Livy Hist. Rome (1903) II. v. xx. 215 I wald nane of ȝow belevit þat I am cumin as Ignorant or mysknawing sic thingis as semys to my estate. c. absol. ΚΠ c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 115 He seiȝ þe peple þorw peine passen in-to helle..and þe fader þouȝte þat hit seemede nouȝt. c1400 Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. cv. 106 And right as þe Skryueyn ys enterpretour of þy wyl... So it nedys..þat he besye hym to þy profyt and to þy worschipe as it semys. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 66/1 Cemyn or becemyn, decet. ?1518 A. Barclay tr. D. Mancinus Myrrour Good Maners sig. Hi It semeth nat in strete, as palfray to praunce. 1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay sig. Evii Thane he is veralie God for that seemis [printed sennis] noth that ony suld be placit at the richt hand of God the fader, bot giff he war God. 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. May 158 Nought seemeth sike strife. 1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. A3^v For it seemeth much in a King, if..he can take hold of any superficiall Ornaments and shewes of learning. View more context for this quotation †2. reflexive and intransitive. To vouchsafe, deign. [So Middle Swedish söma (reflexive).] Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > agreement > consent > consent or comply [verb (reflexive)] seema1300 consent1340 submita1387 endeigna1400 agree1421 greec1440 apply1482 condescend1489 the mind > language > speech > agreement > consent > [verb (intransitive)] > deign deign1297 seema1300 dedeign1423 condescendc1460 a1300 Cursor Mundi 23913 I prai leuedi if þou wald seme, To tak þis littel werc to quem. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17622 Wald þou me leif freind te seme For to cum wit us to mele. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12445 ‘Na’, sco said, ‘þat es na nede,..For he þat sent him vs a-mang To be born, he wald him seme, Fra wick men ai wel him yeme.’ a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11042 Blisced be þou ai, marie!.. Þat þou ne [? read þe] seme wald me to se. II. To have a semblance or appearance.Normally with indirect object of the person to whom the appearance is presented; where no object is expressed one may ordinarily be supplied. In the present tense, ‘seems’ is often equivalent to ‘seems to me’, which expresses belief in the truth of the appearance predicated. Where the object expressed or implied is not in the first person, or where the verb is in the past tense, there is usually, on the other hand, the notion of mere appearance as opposed to fact. * As personal verb. 3. With noun, adjective, or phrase as complement: to appear to be, to be apparently (what is expressed by the complement).Very often, esp. when the complement is a noun or a phrase, it is introduced by the infinitive to be: see examples in 4a. a. without object expressed. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem seeOE seema1225 seema1300 feel1581 would seem1754 a1225 St. Marher. 9 His grisliche teeð semden of swart irn, ant his twa ehnen steappre þene steorren. a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Titus) (1963) 28 For ful of angoisse was tat ilke ned swat..þat hit semde [?c1225 Cleo. þuchte] read blod. 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 1322 For welthes, þat men has here at wille, Semes tokenyng of endeles pyn. ?a1366 Romaunt Rose 1011 As the mone lyght, Ageyn whom all the sterres semen But smale candels. 1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 62 He..doth to seme of gret decerte Thing which is litel worth withinne. a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Merlin (1904) I. l. 1000 And with-jnne tho x mounthes he was so bold, That thyke tyme he semede two ȝeres old. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Li^v Makynge bodyes of ayer to compasse a man & make hym seme a horse or an other beest. 1570 T. Wilson tr. Demosthenes 3 Orations iii. 63 That thing which I shall say, though it seeme against the opinion of all men: yet it shal be true for all that. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 672 What seem'd his head The likeness of a Kingly Crown had on. View more context for this quotation 1667 S. Pepys Diary 27 June (1974) VIII. 298 A silly rogue, but one that would seem a gentleman. a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1646 (1955) II. 488 Trees, on which Bacchus seemes riding as it were in Triumph every Autumn. 1742 E. W. Montagu Let. 22 Mar. in Lady M. W. Montagu Lett. & Wks. (1837) (Philadelphia ed.) II. 75 Mr. Gibson says..that he seems another man. 1807 G. Crabbe Birth Flattery in Poems 193 What seem'd the Door, each entering Guest withstood; What seem'd a Window, was but painted Wood. 1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xxxiii. 354 Mr. Justice Stareleigh..seemed all face and waistcoat. 1884 R. W. Church Bacon ix. 220 Easy and unstudied as his writing seems, it was [etc.]. b. const. to; formerly also †with simple dative. ΚΠ 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 282 But of all sights, none seemes him yet more strange Then the..Exchange. 1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 240 Thus seimes to me ane guidlie companie. 1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lxxxiii. 2 This to the fond weak fool seemeth a mighty delight. c. Followed by †as, as if, as though. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem seeOE seema1225 seema1300 feel1581 would seem1754 a1300 Cursor Mundi 2863 Þar..es noght now bot a stinkand see, Þat semes als a lake of hell. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9928 Þe thrid [colour] Als ros þat es als in springing, And semes als a brennand thing. 1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus Famous Hyst. i. f. 3^v The Lady seyng the fond and vndiscrete treacherye of her husband made little adoe, and seemed as though shee had seene nothing. 1673 J. Dryden Assignation iii. ii. 32 Stay, there's a Dance beginning, and she seems as if she wou'd make one. 1730 A. Gordon tr. F. S. Maffei Compl. Hist. Anc. Amphitheatres 320 It is probable that the Roofs of these Lodges were under the great Windows... I dare not however affirm it, for the Medals seem as if they came up even to the very Top of all. 1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert xviii. 223 Having yielded to his persuasions and arguments, Sonia seemed as though she were only anxious to forget past troubles. 4. With infinitive: To appear to be or to do something. a. with to be. (Cf. 3.) Also in weakened sense (chiefly interrogative). ΚΠ 1388 Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) Acts xvii. 18 And othere seiden, He semeth to be a tellere of newe fendis. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5698 A yongman þat semed to be an egypician. c1450 Mirk's Festial 230/18 This fayth hade our lady passyng all oþer; for þeras hit was semyng forto be ynpossybull þat scho schuld conceyue wythout cowpule of man [etc.]. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. iiij Luther hath..preached also some thinges that seme to be hereticall. 1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxviii. 165 Exile..seemeth not in its own nature, without other circumstances, to be a Punishment. 1756 F. Brooke Old Maid No. 29. 172 Young women are not the angels they seem to be. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms i. 223 Fair creature! Thou dost seem to be Some wandering spirit of the sea. 1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xviii. 154 Of all Sedley's opponents..the most determined and obstinate seemed to be John Osborne. 1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues III. 342 Many..think that you should follow virtue in order that you may seem to be good. 1901 A. K. McClure ‘Abe’ Lincoln's Yarns & Stories 65 ‘What seems to be the matter?’ inquired Lincoln with all the calmness and self-possession he could muster. 1958 B. W. Aldiss Non-stop iv. iii. 219 ‘What seems to be the trouble?’ he asked. 1974 P. G. Wodehouse Aunts aren't Gentlemen xvi. 134 My voice shook a bit as I applied for further details. ‘What seems to be the trouble?’ I asked. 1977 G. Markstein Chance Awakening xix. 55 He dialled 100..‘What seems to be the trouble?’ asked the operator. b. with other verbs. ΚΠ a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5749 Als did þe tre þat semed to bren, And þan was þar na fir wit-in. c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 21 And al oþer lawis þat semen to sey, þat man how to curse for crime of vowtre, þeft, and swilk oþer. 1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 110^v Of Uenus stocke she semde to spring, the rote of beauties grace. a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) i. i. 4 Of Gouernment, the properties to vnfold, Would seeme in me t'affect speech & discourse. View more context for this quotation 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 98 The Parian Marble, there, shall seem to move, In breathing Statues. View more context for this quotation 1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 472. ⁋3 The following Letter seems to be written by a Man of Learning. 1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 248 The Christian..dares not feign a zeal, Or seem to boast a fire he does not feel. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 417 These facts are in perfect accordance with another fact which seems to deserve consideration. 1895 Esher in Law Times Rep. 73 701/2 The statute..does not seem upon a true construction of it to support the assertions for which it was cited. c. With omission of to. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde i. 747 Eek som-tyme it is craft to seme flee Fro thing which in effect men hunte faste. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xi. xvi. 2 Ane huge clamour that tyde did rys on hycht, That semyt smyte the goldin starnis brycht. d. Occasionally would seem: cf. the impersonal use 7f. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem seeOE seema1225 seema1300 feel1581 would seem1754 1754 W. Warburton View Bolingbroke's Philos.: Lett. 1st & 2nd ii. 94 He has refused no arms, we see, to combat the Revelations God hath actually given. He would seem to relax a little of his severity, as to those which God may possibly give. e. In modern use, the combination of seems with an infinitive is often equivalent to the finite verb qualified by ‘probably’, ‘if the evidence may be trusted’. ΚΠ 1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 484/2 Sicily seems to contain no iron. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People ii. §8. 102 Henry's policy seems, for good or evil, to have been throughout his own. f. To appear to oneself; to imagine oneself, or think one perceives oneself, to (do something). Also (colloquial), in negative contexts (preceded by can): to seem unable. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem > seem to oneself seem1638 1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 22 These Images doe follow us so close, that wee seeme to travell, to saile, to bestirre our selves mightily in a hot fight. 1713 A. Pope Windsor-Forest 12 I seem thro' consecrated Walks to rove. 1799 W. Wordsworth Poems on Affect. ix. 7 Still I seem To love thee more and more. 1810 P. B. Shelley Posthumous Fragm. M. Nicholson 40 I seem again to share thy smile, I seem to hang upon thy tone. 1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues IV. 10 On such occasions Plato seems to see young men and maidens meeting together. 1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd II. xiii. 168 Troy could hardly seem to believe her to be his proud wife Bathsheba. 1898 G. Gissing Human Odds & Ends 57 As a lad, I couldn't stick to anything—couldn't seem to put my heart into any sort of work. 1937 I. Baird John xix. 229 He couldn't seem to get the boy out of his head. 1969 M. Pugh Last Place Left vii. 44 Somehow I can't seem to get warm. †g. Instead of the infinitive, a clause was in the 14–16 c. sometimes used, as if the verb were impersonal. (Cf. 7) Obsolete. ΚΠ 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 168 And tournys sa mony tyme his stede, That semys off ws he had na dred. 1565 T. Stapleton Fortresse of Faith f. 77^v Well furnished with all such bookes as Caluin had writen or any other which semed might serue their purpose. 1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia v. 206 She..Durst not..seeme she did his teares discerne. 5. To appear to exist or to be present. Chiefly in the inversion there seems (followed by the subject); otherwise poetic or rhetorical. Also, in the same sense, there seems to be. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem > seem to exist seemc1400 c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §25. 34 Now yif so be þat the semith to long a tarienge..thanne whaite whan the sonne is in any other degree of the zodiak. c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn Prol. l. 446 So wele they make seme soth, when þey falssest ly. c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 2775 They make semen (as to a mannys sight) Abominabill wormys. c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) xxi. 64 He shall make to seme before you a grete rynnynge riuer. a1674 T. Traherne Person in Poems (1966) 40 Mens Hands then Angels Wings Are truer wealth..For those but seem. 1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. ii. xiv. 232 So far as the inheritance can be evidently traced back, there seems no need of calling in this presumptive proof. 1831 W. Scott Count Robert vi, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. III. 129 ‘I regret,’ said Achilles, ‘that there should have seemed any cause for such precautions.’ 1883 Law Times 20 Oct. 409/1 Some fifteen years ago..there seemed a general consensus of opinion that inventors were a nuisance. †6. Of a real existence: To be manifested, come to view, be seen; = appear v. 1, 9 Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > [verb (intransitive)] seem1340 to prove wellc1387 showa1393 appearc1400 to stare (a person) in the face1510 sparkle1597 shinea1616 transpear1645 relate1663 it is visible1693 to speak out1846 notice1961 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 6022 Bot many other þar [at the day of doom] sal seme, Þat sal nouther be demed ne deme. c1374 G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iii. met. xi. (Sk.) 18 And thanne alle the derknesse of his misknowinge shal seme more evidently to sighte of his understondinge thanne the sonne ne semeth to sighte with-oute-forth. c1440 York Myst. iii. 20 For loue made I þis worlde alone, Therfore my loue shalle in it seme. 1575 J. Smith Misticall Deuise sig. Aviii^v My Angel shall be with you.., And I my selfe will surely seeme, for all your soules to care. ** Impersonal uses. 7. it seems. (In all uses, admitting a construction with to or †simple dative.) a. with the real subject expressed by a clause: = It appears, it is apparently true (that); it is seen (that). it seems not (†nay) = ‘it seems that it is not so’. it seems so, so it seems = ‘it seems that it is so’. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > be likely [verb (impersonal)] it seemsa1225 seem1570 seems to me1888 the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem thinkeOE it seemsa1225 meseems?a1425 it seems1442 beseem1470 it should seem1525 it would seem1826 seems to me1888 a1225 St. Marher. 5 Lauerd..salue me mine wunden þat hit ne sem nowðer ne suteli omi samblant þat ich derf drehe. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2169 It semet wel ðat ge spies ben, And in-to ðis lond cumen to sen. c1386 G. Chaucer Melibeus ⁋355 And al be it so þat it seme that thou art in siker place, yet shaltow alwey do thy diligence in kepynge of thy persone. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10441 Ne wat þou noght, it semes nai, Quat a fest it es to dai? c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xvii. 184 And righte as it semethe to us, that thei ben undre us, righte so it semethe hem, that wee ben undre hem. 1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xxii. 480 Yf it semeth you that I have doon amys, soo take ye amendes vpon me. 1530 W. Tyndale Pract. Prelates sig. Ivij It semeth me, that it might be dispensed with in certayne cases. 1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iv. i. 191 It seemes to me, That yet we sleepe, we dreame. View more context for this quotation 1638 R. Baker tr. J. L. G. de Balzac New Epist. II. 52 It seemes you thought not our walkes pleasant enough for you. 1687 Lady Russell Let. 5 Oct. It seems I must remit seeing you, as you once kindly intended. 1747 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 541/1 It seems also that capt. Callis..fell in with and engaged this Spanish ship. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Lady Clara Vere de Vere in Poems (new ed.) I. 158 Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 'Tis only noble to be good. 1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert ix. 86 It seems to me..that looking into holes is a monotonous occupation. b. with adjective complement and extraposed subject infinitive. (Also with ellipsis of the infinitive.) ΚΠ 1439 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 128 Like as in that partye after their conscience and good discrecions it shall seme hem necessarie for to be done and executed for the most ease of his entent. 1512 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 4 As it shall seym to my said feoffees mooste expediente. 1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus Famous Hyst. i. f. 6^v He besought them humbly y^t since it semed them best to deale so roughly w^t him they would graunt him liberty in his richest aray, to sing a song. 1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxix. 169 No man dare to obey the Soveraign Power farther than it shall seem good in his own eyes. c. followed by as if, as though. ΚΠ c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2131 Wende forþ in þi way, It semes astow were wode, To wede. c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2097 It semeþ by his lat As he hir neuer had sene Wiþ siȝt. 1853 J. H. Newman Hist. Sketches (1873) II. i. iii. 132 It seemed as though the Turks had come to their end and were dying out. 1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert vii. 63 It seemed to Jim as though the hour would never arrive at which the steamer was timed to get under way. d. Parenthetically. Now often with somewhat of the sense ‘So I am informed’, or ‘As it appears from rumour or report’. ΚΠ 1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xviii. 117 Her suster, as it semed, cam softly walkynge. 1447 O. Bokenham Agatha in Lyvys Seyntys 369 For in hys conscyence ful confuse ys he And, as yt semyth, at hys wyttys ende. 1525 Sampson in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. I. 263 His moderacion off gesture, cowntenance, and os it semyd allso of inwarde intente and mynde. 1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor ii. iii. sig. E4 Then you were a seruitor at both it seemes . View more context for this quotation 1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 285 They were provided, it seems, only for the Ambassador Brugman, and his Ladies. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 305. ¶8 Six Professors, who it seems, are to be Speculative Statesmen. 1829 T. B. Macaulay Mill on Govt. in Edinb. Rev. Mar. 175 There is still, however, it seems, a hope for mankind. 1876 W. E. Gladstone Homeric Synchronism 167 Who lived before the close, as it seems, of the sixteenth century b.c. †e. = ‘it seems good’. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > advantage > expediency > be expedient or advisable [verb (intransitive)] > seem advisable it seems1557 1557 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Diall Princes 157 This case was so horrible, that it seemed to many not to speake it. f. it should seem, it would seem: used to express somewhat more of hesitation or uncertainty than is expressed by it seems.The older form, it should seem, is perhaps slightly archaic, and is now chiefly used to express a guarded (or sometimes an ironical) acceptance of statements made by others. It would seem does not appear in our quots. before the 19th cent. (but cf. the cognate use 4d). ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem thinkeOE it seemsa1225 meseems?a1425 it seems1442 beseem1470 it should seem1525 it would seem1826 seems to me1888 1525 Bp. J. Clerk in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. I. 310 As for the maters off France, it shold seim that his Holynes rekonythe not gretly howe youe determyn them. 1606 P. Holland in tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars Annot. 31* For it should seeme that the Game of Tali heere mentioned was Pleistoboleuda [sic]. 1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations II. v. ii. 449 It should not, however, seem very difficult to distinguish those two parts of the rent from one another. View more context for this quotation 1816 W. Wordsworth Prose Wks. (1876) II. 11 It should seem that the ancients thought in this manner. 1826 R. H. Froude Remains (1838) I. 154 But, with regard to writings, as it would seem, the case is different. 1829 W. Whewell in J. M. Douglas Life & Corr. W. Whewell (1881) 129 All official papers were brought there: and among the rest it would seem these Cologne ones. 1875 A. C. Swinburne Ess. & Stud. Pref. 10 The accident of personal intimacy, it should seem, deprives you of all right to express admiration of what you might allowably have found admirable in a stranger. 1902 J. Gairdner Eng. Church 16th Cent. (1903) iv. 54 From all this it would seem that he could not have been much under fifty when he was compelled to abjure. †g. ? Perfect tense with is; ? or passive. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem thinkeOE it seemsa1225 meseems?a1425 it seems1442 beseem1470 it should seem1525 it would seem1826 seems to me1888 1442 T. Beckington Corr. (Rolls) II. 191 Sir, hit is semed right expedient unto suche as loveth the wele of the king [etc.]. 1442 T. Beckington Corr. (Rolls) II. 219 As soon as hit shall be seemed unto you and hym to be doon. 8. The it of the impersonal verb is sometimes omitted. a. with the dative preceding the verb, thee seemeth, us seemed, etc. See also meseems v. and cf. methinks v. Obsolete or archaic. ΚΠ c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋123 Right so the synful man that loueth his synne, hym semeth, that it is to him moost sweete of any thyng. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (1483) iv. v. 60 That other shalle answere as hyr semeth good. 1512 R. Copland tr. Knyght of Swanne xxxviii. sig. Piv And than her semed that the two fyrst had [etc.]. 1594 R. Carew tr. J. Huarte Exam. Mens Wits xv. 278 Eue fixed her eies on the tree forbidden, and her seemed that it was sweet in tast. 1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. IV 396 Still awhile himseemed That of that fair close, those white limbs he dreamed. 1871 D. G. Rossetti Blessed Damozel (rev. ed.) iii, in Poems Herseemed she scarce had been a day One of God's choristers. b. The prefixed dative sometimes was used (? by confusion) with reference to the subject of the appearance, so that the impersonal him, her seems became = he, she seems (senses 3, 4). Obsolete. ΚΠ a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3284 Þe formast was vnlaghter milde, Hir semed na wight to be wilde. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (1859) i. xxxiii. 37 Hyr semed wel a lady of ful huge estate, as duchesse, or pryncesse. c1440 Ipomydon 280 The lady byheld Ipomydon, Hym semyd wele a gentil man. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xii. 147 Thame semyt men forsuth, I hicht, That had fayndit thair fayis in ficht. a1500 Chester Pl. (Shaks. Soc.) II. 51 Hym seemes wearye on his waye. †c. with dative following. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ a1400–50 Wars Alex. 3196 Semes ȝow noȝt it suffice my sorowe with-out, Þat as a bitand brand me brettens with-in. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 2106 Thanne semed me ther was a perlement At Atthenes vp on certeyn poynt and caas. †d. what, how seemeth you? = what do you think? Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > making inquiries [phrase] how so?a1375 what, how seemeth you?1485 what reck?a1513 what is the matter?c1520 what about ——1662 what's the row?1810 how come?1848 whassa1906 since when?1907 what'sa matter1935 1485 W. Caxton tr. Paris & Vienne (1957) 73 What semeth you of the wysedom of my fader. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin ii. 28 Lete eche man by hym-self telle me what hym semeth in this mater. a1533 Ld. Berners tr. Arthur of Brytayn (?1560) lxxx. sig. Xiii How semeth you by the knightes of this countre. e. After as or than. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > be likely [verb (impersonal)] it seemsa1225 seem1570 seems to me1888 the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have (specific) appearance [verb (intransitive)] > seem thinkeOE beseem?c1225 semblec1325 show1340 supposea1393 appeara1425 resemble?a1425 think1425 seem1570 'pear1851 1570 T. Wilson tr. Demosthenes 3 Orations vi. 69 As seemeth to me. 1611 Bible (King James) Jer. xviii. 4 So he made it againe another vessell as seemed good to the potter to make it. View more context for this quotation a1625 T. Pont Topogr. Acct. Cunningham (1858) 22 The forsaid Richard being, as vald seime, touched vith compunctione. 1911 N.E.D. at Seem Mod. If he did so, as seems likely enough, he was excusable. He spoke more strongly than seemed justifiable. †f. poetic in occasional uses. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 11764 Yn tyfed wurdys þat slyked are, Semeþ þy synnes þat þey noȝt were. 1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 216 But neither sword nor dagger he did beare, Seemes that no foes reuengement he did feare. 1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia iii. 84 And yet now seemes that he doth meane, From cares of warres his thoughts to weane. g. colloquial or informal, esp. in seems to me. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > be likely [verb (impersonal)] it seemsa1225 seem1570 seems to me1888 the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb (impersonal)] > seem thinkeOE it seemsa1225 meseems?a1425 it seems1442 beseem1470 it should seem1525 it would seem1826 seems to me1888 1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Children viii. 55 Seems to me women get like dogs—they get their lessons pretty well fixed in their minds after a time. †III. To think or deem, and related uses. 9. a. transitive. To think, deem, imagine. With obj.-clause, object and infinitive or complement; also absol. to seem good = to think good (see good adj. 7b). Obsolete.The early examples in which the subject is a noun might be referred to 8a, from which this sense arose by conversion of the prefixed indirect object into the subject; but unequivocal instances with nominative pronoun occur often in the 15th cent. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > supposition, surmise > suppose, surmise [verb (transitive)] ween971 readOE aweena1275 guessc1380 supposec1384 seemc1386 imaginec1405 presupposec1443 deem1470 surmise1509 suspectc1550 doubt1568 expect1592 s'pose1632 fancy1672 sus1958 c1386 G. Chaucer Squire's Tale 193 It was a ffairye, as al the peple semed. 1428 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 79 The residue of all my godes..I be-quethe to be distribued..like as myn executours seme best. c1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 8054 She semed Darel Iusted wel. c1485 Digby Myst., Mor. Wisd. 610 These thynges be now so conuersaunt, we seme it no shame. 1493 Festivall (1515) 57 Euer whan the bysshop loked on her he semed her so fayre y^t he was gretely tempted on her. 1512 R. Copland tr. Knyght of Swanne v. sig. Cj If you seme it good I shal make her to waste & sle the childe. a1525 G. Myll Spectakle of Luf in Bannatyne Misc. (1836) II. 128 Ane askit him quhat he semyt of a woman? a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1537) sig. Kk7^v Fynally, seyng that Rome was Rome, he was demanded how he semed therby. 1627 G. Hakewill Apologie i. ii. 17 Possunt, quia posse videntur. They can because they seeme they can. b. To think fit. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > approve of, accept, or sanction [verb (transitive)] loveeOE underfoc1000 underfong?c1225 undertakea1250 provec1300 allowa1325 favour1340 approvec1380 seem?c1450 conprovec1503 avow1530 rectify1567 annuate1585 to be for1590 sancite1597 improve1603 applauda1616 acclamate1624 resenta1646 own1649 comprobate1660 sanction1797 likea1825 approbate1833 to hold with (arch. of, on, for)1895 agree1900 endorse1914 condone1962 ?c1450 in G. J. Aungier Hist. & Antiq. Syon Monastery (1840) 258 The unresonable grudgers schalle abstayne them from that kende of mete [etc.] that they grudge aȝenste, after that the presidente semethe it for to be doon. 1471 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 443 I wolle spende xx d., or as ye seme, to haue the sertayn off euery thyng her-in. 1612 B. Jonson Alchemist i. iii. sig. C3 And Beneath your threshold, bury me a Loade-stone To draw in Gallants, that weare spurres: The rest, They'll seeme to follow. View more context for this quotation This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.c1440adj.c1400v.¹a1000v.²c1175
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seemn.

† seemadj.

† seemv.1

seemv.2

† seemv.¹

seemv.²