seminare

to sow

verb seh-mee-NAH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin seminare, from semen ('seed').

Also means

to spread (chaos, doubt)

Usage Note

Seminare is used both literally (planting seeds in a field) and figuratively — seminare zizzania ('to sow discord') and seminare il panico ('to spread panic') are common idioms. It takes avere as its auxiliary: ha seminato. A learner may confuse it with sembrare ('to seem') — the two are unrelated.

Examples

"Gli agricoltori seminano il grano in autunno."

Natural Translation

Farmers sow wheat in autumn.

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