Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SEEM, v.i. [G. ziemen, to become, to be fit or suitable; geziemen, to become, to beseem, to be meet, decent, seemly. In D. zweemen is to be like, to resemble, and taamen is to fit or suit, to become. In Dan. söm is a seam, and sömmer, signifies to hem, and also to become, to beseem, to be suitable, decent or seemly. This is certainly the G. ziemen; hence we see that seam and seem are radically the some word; It. sembrare, to seem; sembiante, like, similar, resembling; rassembrare, to resemble; Sp. semejar, to be like; Fr. sembler, to seem, to appear. These words seem to be of one family, having for their radical sense, to extend to, to meet, to unite, to come together, or to press together. If so, the Dutch taamen leads us to the oriental roots, Heb. Ch. and Syr. דמה, damah, to be like; Eth. አደመ adam, to please, to suit; Ar. أَدَمَ adama, to add, to unite, to agree, to suit, to conciliate, to confirm concord. Class Dm, No. 5, and 7. These verbs are radically one, and in these we find the primary sense of Adam; likeness, or form.]

1. To appear; to make or have a show or semblance. Thou art not what thou seem'st. – Shak. All seem'd well pleas'd; all seem'd, but were not all. Milton.
2. To have the appearance of truth or fact; to be understood as true. It seems that the Turkish power is on the decline. A prince of Italy, it seems, entertained his mistress on a great lake. – Addison.