seminary
Americannoun
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seminaries
plural
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a special school providing education in theology, religious history, etc., primarily to prepare students for the priesthood, ministry, or rabbinate.
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a school, especially one of higher grade.
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a school of secondary or higher level for young women.
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a place of origin and propagation.
a seminary of discontent.
noun
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an academy for the training of priests, rabbis, etc
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another word for seminar
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a place where something is grown
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
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
Jaber Rajabi, who served in the Revolutionary Guard and studied with Khamenei in a religious seminary in Qom before defecting in 2016, warned Iran’s Arab neighbors about him before his elevation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 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
His focus is one instilled by mentors at the seminary: “Either we are with the poor, or we are not. God teaches us to most help the poor. Any other interpretation is unacceptable.”
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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
Najaf is the main centre of Shia religious seminaries, and is also home to Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's top Shia religious authority.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 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
The same method of reduction was brought to bear upon the allowances for seminaries; the towns were released from the obligation of repairing churches and religious establishments of charity.
From The War Upon Religion Being an Account of the Rise and Progress of Anti-christianism in Europe by Francis A. (Francis Aloysius) Cunningham
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