seminary
Americannoun
plural
seminaries-
a special school providing education in theology, religious history, etc., primarily to prepare students for the priesthood, ministry, or rabbinate.
-
a school, especially one of higher grade.
-
a school of secondary or higher level for young women.
-
a place of origin and propagation.
a seminary of discontent.
noun
-
an academy for the training of priests, rabbis, etc
-
another word for seminar
-
a place where something is grown
Other Word Forms
- preseminary adjective
- seminarial adjective
Etymology
Origin of seminary
1400–50; late Middle English: seed plot, nursery < Latin sēminārium, equivalent to sēmin- (stem of sēmen ) seed, semen + -ārium -ary
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.
Vocabulary lists containing seminary
The Alchemist
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Lyddie
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Chapter 20: Renaissance and Reformation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The winner Talarico, who has a Master of Divinity degree from a Christian seminary, offered a more genteel approach.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
Khamenei left Mashhad in 1957 to attend seminary in the Shiite holy city of Najaf in Iraq.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
Because he went to the seminary, then he went to Merrimack College, he was a teacher — he bounced around.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2025
I had dreams of becoming a Catholic priest and spent most of my 20s in various forms of conversion therapy in an attempt to prepare for the seminary and to be eligible for application.
From Slate • Oct. 14, 2025
When Maggie was ready, she’d enter a formal ladies’ seminary to receive a proper nineteenth-century education in languages, music, and manners.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
