seminal

American  

[sem-uh-nl] / ˈsɛm ə nl /

adjective

1. pertaining to, containing, or consisting of semen.

2. Botany. of or relating to seed.

3. having possibilities of future development.

4. highly original and influencing the development of future events.

   a seminal artist; seminal ideas.

   Synonyms:

   innovative, formative, primary, germinal

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seminal British  

/ ˈsɛmɪnəl /

adjective

1. potentially capable of development

2. highly original, influential, and important

3. rudimentary or unformed

4. of or relating to semen

   seminal fluid

5. biology of or relating to seed

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Other Word Forms

• interseminal adjective
• preseminal adjective
• seminality noun
• seminally adverb

Etymology

Origin of seminal

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin sēminālis, equivalent to sēmin- (stem of sēmen ) seed, semen + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

He left behind a seminal 37-volume encyclopedia, the “Natural History,” and the surviving letters of his nephew paint a colorful portrait of a workaholic who rarely slept.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Home Alone” is a seminal Christmas classic that airs on millions of screens across the world every festive season, more than three decades after the movie premiered.

From MarketWatch

This made it "a seminal site of national importance for the post-Roman and early migration period of the 5th Century AD", says Mr Young.

From BBC

The mouse’s negative memory of being shocked in Box B had, essentially, been remapped to what was previously a neutral memory of Box A. The scientists had created a false memory, another seminal feat.

From Los Angeles Times

And like those other seminal dramas, it plumbs deeper questions about how we see ourselves, who we really are and who we strive to be.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• influential