seminal

[sem-uh-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

seminal

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of seminal¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of seminal¹

C14: from Late Latin sēminālis belonging to seed, from Latin sēmen seed

Example Sentences

He joined another seminal group, Primal Scream, in 1996 and played with them for 15 years.

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Soundgarden, the seminal Seattle grunge rock group, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a star-studded ceremony at the Peacock Theater on Saturday night.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The event will celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ seminal “Rubber Soul” album.

Read more on Salon

“For me, winning a championship, the seminal moment of that is the parade,” Friedman said.

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That a dictionary could influence a court case at all owes in part to Garner’s seminal book on textualism, a conserative legal doctrine that dictates a page-bound interpretation of the law.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• influential