סמי, סָמָא, סָמָה (v. סוּם II) to tie up, close; to make blind.—Part. pass. סָמוּי; f. סְמוּיָה, סְמוּיָיה; pl. סְמוּיִים, סְמוּיִין; סְמוּיוֹת a) tied up, hidden (cmp. סִימָה). Taan. 8ᵇ (ref. to אסמיך, Deut. XXVIII, 8) דבר הס׳ מן העין that which is hidden from sight (the exact quantity of which you do not know); B. Mets. 42ᵃ; a. e.—b) blinded, blind. Kidd. 24ᵇ הרי שהיתה עינו ס׳ וכ׳ if the slave’s eye was blind, and he (the master) cut it out. Keth. 105ᵃ כמה ס׳ עיניהם וכ׳ how blind are the eyes of (how short-sighted are) those who receive bribes!
Pi. - סִמֵּא, סִימֵּא 1) to blind, make blind. Kidd. l. c. סי׳ עובר וכ׳ he injured the eye of the embryo (while operating on the mother). Ib. הרי שהיתה … וסִמְּאָהּ suppose the slave’s eye was dim, and he (the master) made it entirely blind. Y. Kil. VIII, 31ᶜ top וסִימְּיָיהּ; B. Kam. 91ᵃ וסִימְּאוֹ (Ms. M. וסימאה) and he made him blind. Ib. VIII, 7 האומר סַמֵּא וכ׳ if one says (to his neighbor), blind my eye, the neighbor is responsible. Gen. R. s. 75, end לו … לסַמּוֹת וכ׳ שלח he sent him a present in order to blind his eyes (with ref. to Deut. XVI, 19). Sabb. 109ᵃ top יד מְסַמְּאָה an unwashed hand put on the eye makes blind. Gen. R. s. 42 (ref. to עין משפט, Gen. XIV, 7 עין … לסַמּוֹתָהּ they wanted to blind the eye (of him) that established the rule of justice in the world; a. fr. —2) to tie up one’s own eyes; to simulate blindness. Tosef. Peah IV, 14; Y. ib. VIII, 21ᵇ top; Keth. 68ᵃ המְסמֵּא את עינו (a beggar) who ties his eye up.
Nif. - נִסְמָא, נִסְמָה to be blinded; to become blind. Num. R. s. 7, beg. Bekh. V, 5 (36ᵇ) שנִסְמֵת עינו (Talm. ed. שנִסְמֵית) that became blind on one eye; Keth. 77ᵃ נִיסְמֵת; a. fr.
Hithpa. - הִסְתַּמֵּא,
Nithpa. - נִסְתַּמֵּא, נִסְתַּמָּה same. Arakh. 17ᵇ, sq. פִּתֵּחַ ונ׳ if he was open-eyed and became blind; B. Bath. 128ᵃ. Num. R. s. 18 מיד היה מִסְתַּמֵּא (not היתה) he would get blind at once; a. e.