seam 
stitch: as, to xnim \\ storking. 3. To mark 
with a seam, fissure, or furrow; scar: as, a 
face seamed with wounds. 
It is yet a most beautifull and sweete countrey as any 
is under heaven, seamed throughout with many goodly 
rivers. Spenser, State of Ireland. 
Dusky faces seamed and old. 
WhMier, What the Birds Said. 
II. intrcms. 1. To crack; become fissured or 
cracked. 
Later their lips began to parch and seam. 
L. Wallace, Ben-Hur, p. 400. 
2. In knitting, to work in a particular manner 
so as to produce a seam. 
seam-t (sem), . [< ME. seem, seme, saem, < 
AS. seam, a horse-load, = OHG. MHO. soum, 
Q. samn = Icel. saumr = It. salma, soma = Sp. 
salma = Pr. sauma = OF. somme, some, samm; 
same, a pack, burden, P. somme, < L. sinjnin, 
ML. sauma, salma, a pack, burden, < Gr. aay/ia, 
a pack-saddle, < odrTeiv, pack, put a load on a 
horse, fasten on a load, orig. fasten, allied to 
Skt. ij sanj, adhere. Cf. summer^, sumpter, 
saum, sagma.] A horse-load ; a load for a pack- 
horse; specifically, eight bushels of grain or 
malt. A seam of glass, according to the old statute de 
ponderibus, was 28 stone of 24 pounds each ; but later it 
was 24 stone, understood by Young as 886 pounds, but by 
Kelly as 120 pounds. A seam of dung in Devonshire was 
386 pounds. 
I shal assoille the my-selue for a seme of whete. 
Piers Plowman (B), HI. 40. 
TIT rncrease of a seam is a bushel for store, 
Bad else is the barley, or huswife much more. 
Tusser, November's Husbandry, st. 2. 
seam 3 (sem), . [Alsosai/M, sayme; early mod. 
E. seme, < OF. sain, seyn, F. sain, grease, lard (in 
sain-doux, melted lard), = Pr. sain, sagin = Sp. 
sain = It. saime = Wall, sayen, seyen, < ML. sagi- 
men, fat, < L. sagina, grease, orig. a stuffing, 
cramming, fattening, food ; perhaps akin to Gr. 
aaTTciv, stuff, pack, cram : see seam 2 .] Tallow; 
grease ; lard. [Obsolete or prov. Eng.] 
The proud lord . . . 
Bastes his arrogance with his own seam, 
And never suffers matter of the world 
Enter his thoughts. Shalt., T. and C., ii. 3. 185. 
Grammvwe, a dish made of slices of cold meat fried 
with hogs seame. Cotgrave. 
seam 3 (sem), y. t. [A.\sosaim,sayme; <.seam s , w.] 
To cover with grease; grease. [Obsolete or 
prov. Eng.] 
On the other side, Dame Niggardize . . . sate barrelling 
vp the droppings of her nose, in steed of oyle, to sayme 
wool withall. Nashe, Pierce Penilesse, p. 15. 
sea-magpie (se'mag"pl), n. Asea-pie; theoys- 
ter-catcher. See cut under Hxmatopus. 
sea-maidt (se'mad), . 1. A mermaid. See 
mermaid. 
To hear the sea-maid's music. 
Shak.,11. N. D., ii. 1. 154. 
2. A sea-nymph. P. Fletcher. 
sea-mall (se'mal), . A sea-gull. 
The lesser gull, or seaiixtlt. 
Hill, Hist, of Animals, p. 448. 
sea-mallow (se'mal'6), n. See Lavatera. 
seaman (se'man), ?(.j pi. seamen (-men). [< 
ME. see-mon, < AS. saiman (= D. zeeman = G. 
seemann = Icel. sjdmathr = Sw. sjoman = Dan. 
somand), < see, sea, + man, man: see seal and 
man.'] 1. A man whose occupation it is to 
cooperate in the Tiavigation of a ship at sea ; a 
mariner; a sailor: applied to both officers and 
common sailors, but technically restricted to 
men below the rank of officer. 
With 29. as good sea men, and all necessary provisions 
as could possibly be gotten, we put to sea, and the 24 of 
April! fell [in] with Flowres and Coruos. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, I. 109. 
2f. A merman; a male corresponding to the 
mermaid. [Rare.] 
Not to mention mermaids or seamen. Locke. 
Able-bodied seaman or able seaman. SeenWei. Fre- 
quently abbreviated A. B. Merchant seaman. See 
merchant captain, under merchant. Ordinary seaman. 
See ordinary. Seaman's chest. See chesti. Seamen's 
register. See re<7isferi. = Syn. 1. Mariner, etc. See 
sailor. 
seaman-gunner (se'man-guii''er), n. A grade 
in the naval service for seamen especially 
trained for gunnery duties. 
seamanly (se'man-li), a. [< seaman + -tyl.] 
Characteristic of or befitting a seaman. 
But for the seamanly foresight of Nipper in anchoring 
a line to warp along with, we shouldn't have been able to 
stir the raft from the ship's side. 
W. C. Jlussell, A Strange Voyage, xlvii. 
seamanship (se'man-ship), n. [< seaman + 
-ship.'] The skill of a good seaman; acquain- 
5444 
tancp with the art of managing and navigating 
a ship at sea. 
sea-mantis (se'man'tis), H. A squill; a sto- 
matopod crustacean of the family tii/iiitlidae : so 
called from resembling the praying-mantis in 
general shape and posture. See Squilla, and 
cuts under Squittidx and mOHtte-dbrMtp. 
sea-marge (se'marj), n. The border or shore 
of the sea. 
Thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard. 
Shale., Tempest, iv. 1. 69. 
sea-mark (se'mark), . Any elevated object 
on land which serves for a direction to mari- 
ners in entering a harbor, or in sailing along 
or approaching a coast ; a beacon, as a light- 
house, a mountain, etc. 
They . . . were executed, some of them at London, . . . 
the rest at divers places upon the Sea-Coast of Kent, Sus- 
sex, and Norfolke, for Sea-marks, or Light-houses, to teach 
Perkins People to avoid the Coast. 
Bacon, Hist. Hen. VII., p. 142. 
It [Fishers Island] is not only a Sea-mark for the River, 
but a secure place to ride in, and very convenient for 
Ships to anchor at. Dumpier, Voyages, II. i. 10. 
sea-mat (se'mat), n. A polyzoan of the family 
Flustridx, forming a flat matted coralline. See 
cut under Flustra. 
sea-matweed (se'mat'wed), n. See maticeed, 1. 
sea-maw (se'ma), . A Scotch form of sea-mew. 
The white that is on her breast bare, 
Like the down o* the white sea-maw. 
The Gay Goss-Hawt (Child's Ballads, III. :!:->. 
seam-blast (sem'blast), n. In stone-blasting, a 
blast made by filling with powder the seams or 
crevices produced by a previous drill-blast. 
seamed (semd), a. [Appar. < seam 3 , n., + -erf 2 .] 
In falconry, not in good condition ; out of con- 
dition: said of a falcon. 
sea-melon (se'mel'on), n. A pedate holothu- 
rian of the family Pentactidx, as Pentacta fron- 
dosa. See cut under Pentactidtp. 
seamer (se'mer), N. [< ME. semere, earlier 
seamsere, < AS. sedmere, a sewer, < seam, seam: 
see sen?/! 1 .] One who or that which seams; a 
seamster. See seaming-machine, 2. 
sea-mew (se'mu), . [< ME. semewe, semowe, 
sae-mawe ; < sea 1 + mew 1 .] The common gull, 
or mew-gull, Laras canuti; any sea-gull. See 
cut under gull. 
Se-mow, bryd. Aspergo, alcedo. Prompt. Pan., p. 452. 
The Night-winds sigh, the breakers roar, 
And shrieks the wild sea-mew. 
Byron, cliilde Harold, i. 13 (song). 
seam-hammer (sem'ham'er), . In sheet-metal 
working, a form of hammer used for flattening 
seams or joints. 
sea-mile (se'mil), n. A nautical or geographi- 
cal mile. See mile. 
sea-milkwort (se'milk"wert), n. See milkwort, 
2, and Glaui. 
seaming-lace (se'ming-las), 11. 1. See 7ace. 
2. A galloon, braiding, gold lace, or other trim- 
ming used to sew upon seams in upholstery, 
carriage-making, etc., the edges or hems being 
especially decorated with it. Also seam-lace. 
seaming-machine (se'ming-ma-shen*), n. 1. 
In sheet-metal work, a hand- of power-tool for 
/ 
Seaming-machine. 
(T, verticalshaft and support, horizontally adjustable, and carrying 
at the top a former/'/ *, a counterpart former work ing at right angles 
with/ on the support c ; d, screw with crank by which * can be set 
toward or away from/; e, crank keyed to the shaft of it. The edge 
of the metal is passed under b and over/ while the crank e is turned. 
bending sheet-metal to form seams or joints 
in making tinware, cans, etc. It consists essen- 
tially of a pair of rollers of appropriate form, which bend 
the metal over wire or double it into joints. 
2. A kind of sewing-machine used to join fab- 
rics lengthwise neatly and smoothly, prepara- 
tory to printing, bleaching, dyeing, etc. Also 
called seamer. 
sea-mud 
sea-mink (se'mingk), . The scuenoid lish 
Mi-iilifii'rii." saxatins, a khul of American whit- 
ing. Also called barb. 
seam-lace (sem 'las), w. Same as urainiiKj- 
l/ici; 2. 
seamless (sem'les), a. [< ME. .iniiti-.w, seme- 
li-s; < sen m 1 + -/cws.] Havingno seams; with- 
out a seam. 
sea-monk (se'mungk), n. The monk-seal. See 
Nfllll, 1. 
sea-monster (se'mon'ster), w. 1 . A huge, hide- 
ous, or terrible marine animal. 
Where luxury late reign 'd, sea-monsters whelp'd. 
Hilton, P. L., xi. 751. 
2. Specifically, the chimer;i. Clihiiirra munstro- 
."ii. See cut under chimera. 
sea-moss (se'mos), n. 1. A kind of compound 
polyzoan or bryozoan ; an aggregate of moss- 
animalcules forming a mossy mat or tract ; any 
such bryozoan or moss-animal. See cuts under 
Polyzoa and Plumatella. 2. In hot. : (a) Irish 
moss, or carrageen, (b) Same as seaweed. 
Sea-moss ... to cool his boiling blood. 
Drayton, Polyolbion, xviii. 761. 
sea-mouse (se'mous), n. 1. A marine dorsi- 
branchiate annelid of the family Apliroditidse. 
The common sea-mouse, Aphrodite aculeata, of the British 
and French coasts, is from 6 to 8 inches long and 2 or 3 
in width. In coloring it is one of the most splendid of 
animals. 
2. Same as sand-mouse. [Local, Eng.] 
seam-presser (sera'pres^er), w. 1. In0>n.,an 
implement, consisting of two cast-iron cylin- 
ders, which follows the plow to press down the 
newly plowed furrows. Sometimes called sea m- 
roller. 2. A goose or sad-iron used by tailors 
to press or flatten seams in cloth. 
seam-rendt (sem'rend), v. t. [< seawii + rend; 
first in seam-rent, a.] To rip or separate at the 
seams. [Rare.] 
I confesse, I see I have here and there taken a few finish 
stitches, which may haply please a few Velvet eares ; but 
1 cannot now well pull them out, unlesse I should searne- 
rend all. If. Ward, Simple Cobler, p. 89. 
seam-rent (sem'rent), (i. Rent or ripped at 
the seams. 
A lean visage, peering out of a ff inn-rent suit, the very 
emblems of beggary. B. Jonson, Poetaster, !. 1. 
seam-rent (sem'rent), n. A rent along a seam. 
seam-rippedt (sem'ript), a. Same as seam- 
rent. Fuller, Worthies, Sussex, III. 243. 
seam-roller (sem'ro"ler), n. 1. In agri., same 
as seam-presser, 1. 2. In leatlier-tcorkiiif/, a bur- 
nisher or rubber for flattening down the edges 
where two thicknesses are sewed together. See 
seam-rubber. E. H. Knight. 
seam-rubber (sem'rub'er), . In letitlirr- 
manuf., a machine for smoothing or flattening 
down a seam, consisting essentially of a roller 
reciprocated mechanically on an arm or a bed 
over which the seam is adjusted. K. H. Knight. 
seam-set (sem 'set), w. 1. A grooved punch 
used by tinmen for closing seams. 2. In lea- 
ther-manvf., a tool for flattening down seams. 
seamstert, sempstert (sem'ster, semp'ster), n. 
[Early mod. E. also semster ; < ME. semster, 
semestre, < AS. sedmestre, sxmestre, fern, of sed- 
mere, m., a sewer: see seamer.'] A man or 
woman employed in sewing: in early use ap- 
plied to those who sewed leather as well as 
cloth. 
Goldsmythes, Glouers, Girdillers noble ; 
Sadlers, souters, semsteris fyn. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1585. 
In some of the seamsters' shops, the new tobacco-office, 
or amongst the booksellers. 
DeHer, Gull's Hornbook, p. 96. 
[Enter] \Vassel, like a neat sempster, and songster ; her 
page bearing a brown bowl drest with ribands and rose- 
mary before her. B. Jonson, Masque of Christmas. 
As the fellow [Trim] was well beloved in the regiment, 
and a handy fellow into the bargain, my uncle Toby took 
him for his servant, and of excellent use was he, attending 
my uncle Toby in the camp and in his quarters as valet, 
groom, barber, cook, sempster, and nurse. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, ii. 5. 
seamstress, sempstress (sem'stres, semp'- 
stres), n. [( seamster + -ess.] A woman whose 
occtipation is sewing Seamstresses' cramp or 
palsy, a neurosis, similar to writers' cramp, to which 
seamstresses are subject. 
seamstressyt (sem'stres-i), n. [< seamstress + 
-y 3 .] Sewing; the occupation or business of a 
seamstress. [Rare.] 
As an appendage to seamstressy, the thread-paper might 
be of some consequence to my mother. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, iii. 42. 
sea-mud (se'mud), n. A rich saline deposit 
from salt-marshes and sea-shores. It is also 
called sea-ooze, and is employed as a manure. 
