Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Seem \Seem\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Seemed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Seeming}.] [OE. semen to seem, to become, befit, AS. s?man
   to satisfy, pacify; akin to Icel. s?ma to honor, to bear
   with, conform to, s?mr becoming, fit, s?ma to beseem, to
   befit, sama to beseem, semja to arrange, settle, put right,
   Goth. samjan to please, and to E. same. The sense is probably
   due to the adj. seemly. [root]191. See {Same}, a., and cf.
   {Seemly}.]
   To appear, or to appear to be; to have a show or semblance;
   to present an appearance; to look; to strike one's
   apprehension or fancy as being; to be taken as. ``It now
   seemed probable.'' --Macaulay.

         Thou picture of what thou seem'st.       --Shak.

         All seemed well pleased; all seemed, but were not all.
                                                  --Milton.

         There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the
         end thereof are the ways of death.       --Prov. xiv.
                                                  12.

   {It seems}, it appears; it is understood as true; it is said.

            A prince of Italy, it seems, entertained his
            misstress on a great lake.            --Addison.

   Syn: To appear; look.

   Usage: {Seem}, {Appear}. To appear has reference to a thing's
          being presented to our view; as, the sun appears; to
          seem is connected with the idea of semblance, and
          usually implies an inference of our mind as to the
          probability of a thing's being so; as, a storm seems
          to be coming. ``The story appears to be true,'' means
          that the facts, as presented, go to show its truth;
          ``the story seems to be true,'' means that it has the
          semblance of being so, and we infer that it is true.
          ``His first and principal care being to appear unto
          his people such as he would have them be, and to be
          such as he appeared.'' --Sir P. Sidney.

                Ham. Ay, madam, it is common. Queen. If it be,
                Why seems it so particular with thee? Ham.
                Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not ``seems.''
                                                  --Shak.