Skip to content

semer

to sow, to plant (seeds)

verb suh-MEH Less Common
Animals & Nature Plants

Origin: Latin seminare (to sow).

Also means

to scatter, to spread

Usage Note

semer is used literally for planting seeds — semer du blé — and figuratively for spreading things: semer la panique ('to spread panic'), semer le doute ('to sow doubt'). The noun semence means seed, and semis is a seedling bed or sowing.

Examples

"Le fermier sème du blé au printemps."

Natural Translation

The farmer sows wheat in spring.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic