German word

Samen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈzaːmən/

Meaning

  • masculine nounseed

Example

Nimm einen Samen und drücke ihn in die Erde.

Take a seed and press it into the soil.

Illustration for Samen (seed)

More examples

Im Frühbeet haben die Samen bereits gekeimt.

The seeds in the cold frame have already germinated.

Core concept

A small biological starter that carries the potential for new life, whether enclosed in a plant structure or released as reproductive fluid.

Common phrases

  • Samen aussäen

    sow seeds

  • Samen keimen

    Seeds germinate

  • Samen ernten

    harvest seeds

Similar words

Saat: Seeds gathered for sowing crops or fields.
Saatgut: Seed kept, selected, or sold for agricultural use.
Korn: A single edible grain from a cereal crop such as wheat.
Keim: The first young growth emerging as a seed begins to germinate.

Definition in German

Samen bezeichnet keimfähige Körner oder Fruchtteile von Pflanzen, die neues Wachstum hervorbringen können.

Word origin

Samen descends through Old High German samo from a Proto-Germanic form related to English seed, while Latin semen is a cognate rather than its source.

Usage tips

  • Samen is masculine, with der Samen in the singular and die Samen in the plural, so the forms differ mainly by their articles and context.

Other meanings

  • semennoun

Related words

  • Samenkornseed grainnoun
  • Samenbankseed banknoun
  • Samenbildungseed formationnoun

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