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sembler

Etymology and origin of the French word sembler

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Inherited from
Latin similo via Old French
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*sem-)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French sembler
French ressembler

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /sɑ̃.ble/[1]

Forms

sembler[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French sembler, inherited from Late Latin similō (“to be like; to seem”), from similis (“like, similar”).[2][3][4][5][1] Latin “similis” goes back to the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; same”), also in Sanskrit सम (sama) and Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌼𐌰 (sama).[3][1] The “b” arose between “m” and “l”.[6] Its learned doublet is simuler.[1]

Outside Gallo-Romance the verb has a regular form only in Romanian semăna (“to resemble”) and Catalan semblar, Bloch and Wartburg consider Italian sembrare and Spanish “semblar” borrowed.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 1100 the Chanson de Roland already uses it in the two main ways: with an attribute (“to look, appear”) and impersonally, me semblet with an infinitive.[2][3] The Laws of William the Conqueror have Nous ne semble pas raisoun “it does not seem right to us”.[6]

Semantic evolution

The Latin sense “to resemble” lived on in Old French (sembler à qqn, about 1145) but dropped out of good usage in the 17th century; it survives regionally in Provence, Switzerland, Belgium, Normandy and Quebec (il semble son frère).[2][3][4] ressembler took over that sense.[4]

Sembler with an infinitive dates from 1174–76.[2] The impersonal il semble que is found from 1188 or 1250, ce me semble from 1160–74, si bon me semble from 1549 and semble-t-il from 1916 (Gide).[2][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Sembler and me semblet in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • c. 1145 – Sembler à “to resemble”, in Wace.[2]
  • 1160–1174 – Ce me semble.[2]
  • 1188 – Il semble que.[2]
  • 1549 – Si bon me semble.[3]
  • 17th century – The sense “to resemble” is condemned.[3]
  • 1916 – Semble-t-il in Gide.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To seem, appear, look: elle semble fatiguée.[8][9]
  2. With an infinitive, to seem to: il semble dormir.[2][8]
  3. Il semble que, il me semble que: it seems (to me) that.[2][8]
  4. Comme bon vous semble, si bon lui semble: as you please, if he wishes.[1][8]
  5. (regional, dated) To resemble: il semble son père.[3][2]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 623b
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)

Derived terms

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sembler.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/sembler. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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