seminary

American  

[sem-uh-ner-ee] / ˈsɛm əˌnɛr i /

noun

• seminaries
  plural

1. a special school providing education in theology, religious history, etc., primarily to prepare students for the priesthood, ministry, or rabbinate.

2. a school, especially one of higher grade.

3. a school of secondary or higher level for young women.

4. seminar.

5. a place of origin and propagation.

   a seminary of discontent.

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seminary British  

/ ˈsɛmɪnərɪ /

noun

1. an academy for the training of priests, rabbis, etc

2. another word for seminar

3. a place where something is grown

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preseminary
  adjective
• seminarial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• seminaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of seminary

1400–50; late Middle English: seed plot, nursery < Latin sēminārium, equivalent to sēmin- (stem of sēmen ) seed, semen + -ārium -ary

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Explanation

What do ministers, priests, rabbis, and children have in common? They all might attend a school that has the word seminary in its name. A seminary is a school, especially one where people train to be religious leaders. Seminary comes from the Latin word seminarium, meaning "plant nursery," which can be interpreted as, "breeding ground." Like a greenhouse that provides ideal conditions for seeds to grow into hearty plants, a seminary was first a place for young men to become priests. Seminary typically describes religious institutions but it can apply to nonreligious schools as well.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seminary seminaries

The new consecrations are set to take place near the society's seminary in Econe, a village in the Rhone valley in Alpine southwest Switzerland, at the foot of the mountains.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

He later joined a seminary in Southern California with the idea of becoming a Catholic priest, and discovered that his first task involved restocking the residence’s vending machine each night—with Fritos, Snickers and Lays.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

He studied in a seminary in Qom after his service with the Revolutionary Guard and wears the black turban of a sayyid, indicating that he traces his lineage to the prophet Muhammad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026

He left before completing seminary, joining the civil rights movement full time.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2026

I couldn’t have found God in the seminary, he thought, as he looked at the sunrise.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

Khamenei was born in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city located in the north-east of the country, and studied at seminaries in the city before moving to Qom, the centre of Iran's Shia clerical establishment.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

“The church is thriving in many parts of Africa, and seminaries there are full in a way they are not in the U.S. or Europe,” said Kevin Hughes, a professor of theology at Villanova University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

Most of them reside and run seminaries in the holy cities of Qom in Iran and Najaf in Iraq.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026

He began his religious instruction at 4 and continued his studies at the revered hawza, a network of illustrious seminaries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026

In 1893 the country possessed 5 intermediate and 337 elementary schools, 6 theological seminaries, 6 gymnasia, and about 40 continuation and technical schools.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 "Dagupan" to "David" by Various

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