Sem"bling (?), n. [Cf. Assemble.] (Zoöl.) The practice of attracting the males of Lepidoptera or other insects by exposing the female confined in a cage.
It is often adopted by collectors in order to procure specimens of rare species.
||Se*mé" (?), a. [F. semé, fr. semer to sow.] (Her.) Sprinkled or sown; ||-- said of field, or a charge, when strewed or covered with small ||charges.
{ Se`mei*og"ra*phy (?), or Se`mi*og"ra*phy (?) }, n. [Gr. shmei^on sign + -graphy.] (Med.) A description of the signs of disease.
{ Se`mei*o*log"ic*al (?), or Se`mi*o*log"io*al }, a. Of or pertaining to the science of signs, or the systematic use of signs; as, a semeiological classification of the signs or symptoms of disease; a semeiological arrangement of signs used as signals.
{ Se`mei*ol"o*gy (?), or Se`mi*ol"o*gy }, n. [Gr. shmei^on a mark, a sign + - logy.] The science or art of signs. Specifically: (a) (Med.) The science of the signs or symptoms of disease; symptomatology. (b) The art of using signs in signaling.
{ Se`mei*ot"ic (?), or Se`mi*ot"ic }, a. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, fr. shmei^on a mark, a sign.] 1. Relating to signs or indications; pertaining to the language of signs, or to language generally as indicating thought.
2. (Med.) Of or pertaining to the signs or symptoms of diseases.
{ Se`mei*ot"ics (?), or Se`mi*ot"ics }, n. Semeiology.
Sem"e*le (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;.] (Gr. Myth.) A daughter of Cadmus, and by Zeus mother of Bacchus.
||Se"men (?), n.; pl. Semina (#). [L., from the root of serere, satum, ||to sow. See Sow to scatter seed.] 1. (Bot.) The seed of plants.
2. (Physiol.) The seed or fecundating fluid of male animals; sperm. It is a white or whitish viscid fluid secreted by the testes, characterized by the presence of spermatozoids to which it owes its generative power.
Semen contra, or Semen cinæ or cynæ, a strong aromatic, bitter drug, imported from Aleppo and Barbary, said to consist of the leaves, peduncles, and unexpanded flowers of various species of Artemisia; wormseed.
Sem`e*nif"er*ous (?), a. (Biol.) Seminiferous.
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Se*mes"ter (?), n. [G., from L. semestris half-yearly; sex six + mensis a month.] A period of six months; especially, a term in a college or uneversity which divides the year into two terms.
Sem"i- (?). [L. semi; akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;, Skr. smi-, AS. sm-, and prob. to E. same, from the division into two parts of the same size. Cf. Hemi-, Sandelend.] A prefix signifying half, and sometimes partly or imperfectly; as, semiannual, half yearly; semitransparent, imperfectly transparent.
The prefix semi is joined to another word either with the hyphen or without it. In this book the hyphen is omitted except before a capital letter; as, semiacid, semiaquatic, semi-Arian, semiaxis, semicalcareous.
Sem`i*ac"id (?), a. Slightly acid; subacid.
Sem`i*a*cid"i*fied (?), a. Half acidified.
Sem`i*ad*her"ent (?), a. Adherent part way.
Sem`i*am*plex"i*caul (?), a. (Bot.) Partially amplexicaul; embracing the stem half round, as a leaf.
Sem"i*an`gle (?), n. (Geom.) The half of a given, or measuring, angle.
Sem`i*an"nu*al (?), a. Half- yearly.
Sem`i*an"nu*al*ly, adv. Every half year.
Sem`i*an"nu*lar (?), a. Having the figure of a half circle; forming a semicircle. Grew.
Sem`i-A"ri*an (?), n. [See Arian.] (Eccl. Hist.) A member of a branch of the Arians which did not acknowledge the Son to be consubstantial with the Father, that is, of the same substance, but admitted him to be of a like substance with the Father, not by nature, but by a peculiar privilege.
Sem"i-A"ri*an, a. Of or pertaining to Semi-Arianism.
The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section S · The Wunder Library — complete classics, free to read, with narration.