late 14c., from Latin semen "seed of plants, animals, or men; race, inborn characteristic; posterity, progeny, offspring," figuratively "origin, essence, principle, cause," from PIE *semen- "seed," suffixed form of root *sē- "to sow."
sematic
semblable
semblance
seme
Semele
semen
semester
semi-
semi-annual
semi-arid
semi-automatic