Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To assemble; meet; gather together.
  • To appear; seem.
  • In law, used impersonally (generally abbreviated sem. or semb.) as Old French, semble, it appears, it seems, preceding a statement of opinion, thus qualified, on a point of law (not necessary to be decided in the case) which has not been directly settled.
  • To dissemble.
  • To make a likeness; practise the art of imitation.
  • Like; similar.
  • noun A gathering; a meeting; an assembly.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Like; resembling.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To imitate; to make a representation or likeness.
  • intransitive verb (Law) It seems; -- chiefly used impersonally in reports and judgments to express an opinion in reference to the law on some point not necessary to be decided, and not intended to be definitely settled in the cause.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb law It seems; it appears that
  • adjective obsolete Like; resembling.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old French (il) semble ("it seems").

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