French Conversation · Level 114
59 words
French word
semer
Pronunciation
IPA/səme/
Meaning
- verbsow
Example
Il faut semer des graines au printemps.
Seeds need to be sown in spring.
More examples
En ville, un bruit peut semer la panique.
In town, a noise can sow panic.
Core concept
Small things scatter from a hand across the ground, or a trail breaks into scattered traces that make pursuit impossible.
Common phrases
semer des graines
sow seeds
semer du blé
sow wheat
semer la panique
sow panic
Similar words
planter: Putting seedlings or plants into the ground.
jeter: Throwing an object through the air by hand.
répandre: Spreading liquid or powder over a wide area.
éparpiller: Scattering small objects in different directions.
Definition in French
Répandre de petites choses de façon dispersée; familièrement, mettre de la distance entre soi et quelqu'un au point que cette personne perd la piste.
Word origin
French semer comes through Old French from Latin seminare, formed from semen, 'seed', and originally meaning to sow or scatter seeds.
Usage tips
- In informal French, semer quelqu'un means to lose or shake someone off, while semer des graines keeps the literal sense.