# sem
## Translingual
### Symbol

sem
* (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-5 language code for Semitic languages.

## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛm/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛm

### Noun

sem (plural sems)
* Clipping of seminary.
* Clipping of semester.
* Clipping of semicolon.

#### Derived terms

* trisem

### Anagrams

* EMS, EMs, Ems, MES, MEs, MSE, SME, ems, mes, mes-

## Bahnar
### Etymology

From Proto-Bahnaric *ceː₂m, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cim ~ *ciim ~ *ciəm ~ *caim ~ *cum (“bird”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛːm/

### Noun

sem
* bird

## Catalan
### Alternative forms

* som (Northern, standard)

### Verb

sem
* (Northern, Alghero) first-person plural present indicative of ésser
* (Northern, Alghero) first-person plural present indicative of ser

## Chinese
### Etymology

From clipping of English semester.

### Pronunciation

* Cantonese (Jyutping): sem$^6$
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sem$^6$
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sem$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: sém$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /sɛːm²²/

### Noun

sem
* (Hong Kong Cantonese, university slang) semester (Classifier: 個／个 c)
    終於完sem喇。／终于完sem喇。 [Hong Kong Cantonese] ― zung$^1$ jyu$^1$ jyun$^4$ sem$^6$ laa$^3$. [Jyutping] ― The semester has finally ended.

#### Derived terms

* sem尾
* sem頭 / sem头
* sem頭不努力，sem尾徒傷悲 / sem头不努力，sem尾徒伤悲
* 完sem
* 開sem / 开sem
* 開sem飯 / 开sem饭

### References

* English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

## Czech
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech sěmo / sěm, from Proto-Slavic *sěmo.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈsɛm]
* Audio:(file)

### Adverb

sem
* hither (to here)

## Eskayan
### Numeral

sem
* nine

## Hungarian
### Alternative forms

* se

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈʃɛm]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛm

### Conjunction

sem (clitic)
* …, neither (or not…, either)
    Julit sem láttam. ― I didn’t see Juli, either. [aside from not having seen another person]
    Én sem láttam Julit. ― I didn’t see Juli, either. [aside from other people who haven't seen her]
* not even
    Meg sem próbálta. ― S/he didn’t even try it.

### Conjunction

sem (paired)
* neither… nor…
    Sem te, sem ő nem jöhettek velem. ― Neither you nor s/he can come with me.

#### Usage notes

The word sem and nincs, nincsen (“it/there isn't”) are contracted into the forms sincs, sincsen (“it/there isn't, either”).

#### Derived terms

* semleges
* hogysem
* korántsem
* mégsem
* mintsem
* semmi
* semmikor
* semmilyen
* senki
* sohasem
* sosem
* a füle botját sem mozdítja
* ennek a fele sem tréfa
* néma gyereknek az anyja sem érti a szavát
* szóra sem érdemes

### See also

* koránt (used in the phrases korántsem, koránt sincs)

### Further reading

* sem in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

## Icelandic
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sɛːm/
* Rhymes: -ɛːm
* (before words beginning with a consonant) IPA: /sɛm/

### Etymology 1

From Old Norse sem (“as, like”), possibly from Proto-Germanic *samaz (“same, alike”).

#### Conjunction

sem
* (with a noun phrase) as, like
    Hann var sem guð meðal manna.He was like a god amongst men.
    Hár hennar var hvítt sem snjór.Her hair was white as snow.
    Hann er sem nýr.He is as [good as] new.
    Vista sem…Save as…
* (with a clause) like, as if
    Svo virðist sem sjúkdómurinn sé arfgengurIs seems as though the disease is hereditary.
* (relative, with a clause) who, which, that
    Þetta er maðurinn sem ég hitti í gær.That’s the man that I met yesterday.
    Þetta er konan sem barði mig.That’s the woman who hit me.

##### Synonyms

* (as, like, as if): eins og
* (which, that): er

##### Derived terms

* ekki er allt gull sem glóir
* láta sem vind um eyru þjóta
* samt sem áður
* sem allra best
* sem og
* sem sé, sem sagt
* þar sem (þars)
* því meira sem

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

sem (weak)
* first-person singular present indicative of semja
* second-person singular imperative of semja

## Middle English
### Etymology 1
#### Noun

sem
* Alternative form of seem (“seam”)

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

sem
* Alternative form of seem (“load”)

## Old Norse
### Etymology 1

Possibly from Proto-Germanic *samaz (“same, alike”).

#### Alternative forms

* som, sum — late Old Norse

#### Conjunction

sem
* as, the same, like

##### Descendants

* Icelandic: sem
* Faroese: sum (from East Nordic)
* Norwegian Nynorsk: (dialectal) sem, se
* Old Swedish: sum, som
** Swedish: som
** → Middle Norwegian: sum
*** Norwegian Nynorsk: som, sum; (dialectal) søm, so
* Danish: som
** Norwegian Bokmål: som

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

sem
* inflection of semja:
** first-person singular active present indicative
** second-person singular active imperative

### Further reading

* Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “sem”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

## Old Tupi
### Alternative forms

* sẽ

### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *t͡ʃem, from Proto-Tupian *t͡ʃem.
Cognate with Guaraní sẽ, Sateré-Mawé wẽẽ-tẽp.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɛ̃m/
* Rhymes: -ɛ̃m
* Hyphenation: sem

### Verb

sem (first-person singular active indicative asem, first-person singular negative active indicative n'asemi, noun sema) (intransitive)
* to exit; to leave; to get out
    Asem 'y suí.I got out of the water.
* to move (to change residence)
    Synonym: îakasó
* (of a celestial body) to rise
* (rare) to be born [with suí ‘from someone’]
    Synonym: 'ar
** 1586, André Thevet, “Du Goulphre ou Riviere de Ganabara”, in Le Grand Insulaire et Pilotage d’André Thevet [The Great Islander and Piloting of André Thevet], page 253:aëoſen Maria Vurgon ſuy[A'e osem Maria Virgem suí.]He was born from Mary Virgin.
** 1586, André Thevet, “Du Goulphre ou Riviere de Ganabara”, in Le Grand Insulaire et Pilotage d’André Thevet [The Great Islander and Piloting of André Thevet], page 253:aë aué de ſuy oſenuaë puera Jeſus[A'e abé nde suí osẽba'epûera Jesus.]He also who was born from you, Jesus.

#### Descendants

* Nheengatu: semu, sému, sema (obsolete)

### References

* Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2013) “sem”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: The Classical Indigenous Language of Brazil] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 441, column 1

## Portuguese
### Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese sen, from Latin sine, from Proto-Indo-European *sene.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈsẽj̃/ [ˈsẽɪ̯̃]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈsɐ̃j̃/
* Audio (Northern Portugal):(file)
* Audio (Portugal):(file)
* Audio (Brazil):(file)
* Audio (Brazil):(file)
* Rhymes: (Brazil) -ẽj̃, (Portugal) -ɐ̃j̃
* Homophone: cem
* Hyphenation: sem

### Preposition

sem
* -less; without (not having, containing, characteristic of, etc.)
    Antonym: com
    um livro sem capa ― a book without a cover
    casa sem janelas ― windowless house
* (followed by infinitive) without (not doing or not having done something)
    Ele gosta de comer tudo sem dividir.He likes to eat everything without sharing.
    Ele atirou sem avisar ninguém.He shot without warning anyone.

#### Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:sem.

#### Synonyms

* (not having): desprovido de, falto de

#### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “not doing or having done something”): use gerund (-ando, -endo, -indo)

#### Derived terms

* sem mais nem menos
* sem que
* sem-noção

#### Descendants

* → Ambonese Malay: seng
* Macanese: sim

## Romani
### Verb

sem
* first-person singular present indicative of si

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology 1

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sem/

#### Preposition

sem (Cyrillic spelling сем)
* except, apart from, besides

### Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek σῆμα (sêma).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sêːm/

#### Noun

sȇm m (Cyrillic spelling се̑м)
* (semantics) the smallest unit of meaning

### Further reading

* https://staznaci.com/sem
* “sem”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

## Slovene
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sə́m/

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *sěmo.

#### Adverb

sem
* hither, over here (to here)

### Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *esmь.

#### Verb

sə̏m
* first-person singular present of bíti

### Further reading

* “sem”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025

## Tok Pisin
### Etymology

From English same.

### Adjective

sem
* same
** 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 2:25:Tasol tupela i no sem.→New International Version translation

## Zou
### Noun

sem
* hair

#### References

* http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf