groundbreaking

[ground-brey-king]

the act or ceremony of breaking ground for a new construction project.

of or relating to such a ceremony.

originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like: Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.

Origin of groundbreaking

First recorded in 1905–10; ground¹ + break + -ing¹, -ing²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

It marked a groundbreaking moment in how the country viewed Jews, especially Jewish women.
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She is groundbreaking on the problem of methane leaks in natural-gas fracking, an exception that swallows the rule.
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The lab has amassed over 60,000 DNA samples and pioneered some groundbreaking scientific advances.
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In 1988, N.W.A. released their groundbreaking record Straight Outta Compton.
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Modern Family has always been a groundbreaking television show.
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This was a time of many innovations and groundbreaking scientific theories.
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Word Origin and History for groundbreaking

adj.

1907 as a figurative adjective, from expression to break ground, either for planting or for building; see ground (n.) + break (v.).