seminary

[ sem-uh-ner-ee ]

/ ˈsɛm əˌnɛr i /

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See synonyms for seminary on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural sem·i·nar·ies.

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.

seminar (def. 1).

a place of origin and propagation: a seminary of discontent.

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Origin of seminary

1400–50; late Middle English: seed plot, nursery <Latin sēminārium, equivalent to sēmin- (stem of sēmen) seed, semen + -ārium-ary

OTHER WORDS FROM seminary

sem·i·nar·i·al, adjectivepre·sem·i·nar·y, adjective, noun, plural pre·sem·i·nar·ies.

Words nearby seminary

seminal fluid, seminal principle, seminal vesicle, seminar, seminarian, seminary, semination, seminiferous, seminiferous tubule, seminivorous, Seminole

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use seminary in a sentence

Musically gifted as a singer and violinist, Scott attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she met King, who was a seminary student nearby at Boston University.
The public has underestimated the radicalism of Martin Luther King Jr.’s early work|Victoria Wolcott|January 17, 2022|Washington Post
In 2007, she was rejected by a seminary because she came out in her application.
Meet Rev. Bos, first out lesbian Evangelical Lutheran bishop|Kathi Wolfe|August 11, 2021|Washington Blade
As the conflict intensified, Derkach left his advisory role in the Orthodox Church and stopped teaching at the seminary.
Exclusive: How an Accused Russian Agent Worked With Rudy Giuliani in a Plot Against the 2020 Election|Simon Shuster/Kyiv|May 28, 2021|TIme
After seminary in the Midwest, he was sent to Cambridge to preach in Swedish to a largely immigrant flock.
Smallpox ‘virus squads’ and the mandatory vaccinations upheld by the Supreme Court|Gillian Brockell|April 1, 2021|Washington Post

At the time, Waldman was a teacher at the all-girls Beth Jacobs Teachers Seminary in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Rabbi and His Child Porn Collection|Emily Shire|May 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Emory University.
Conservative Christians Selectively Apply Biblical Teachings in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate|Kirsten Powers, Jonathan Merritt|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pope who had endured the Nazi horror in a Polish seminary took special note of “sufferings inflicted upon Jews.”
How the Catholic Church Got in Bed with Mussolini|Jason Berry|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Better that I leave the seminary than stay and become a sourpuss.
A Catholic Ex-Banker on Pope Francis’s Radical Views|Chris Lowney|December 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I came here to be immersed in a beautiful Rabbinical-seminary town, around inspiring people with beautiful values.
Obama: Come Visit The Settlements|Samuel Lebens|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was one of the founders of Andover theological seminary, and contributed altogether about $125,000 to that institution.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Then he returned to his province, entered the seminary, and became a sub-deacon of the diocese of Nueva Segovia.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
South of this is the Lutheran Theological Seminary, beautifully situated, in front of a shady grove of oaks.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.
It was five minutes past one when the signal-gun for the opening of the battle was given by the Rebels on Seminary Hill.
The Boys of '61|Charles Carleton Coffin.
Both had been seminary pupils prior to Mr. Carruths death, but expenses had to be curtailed at once.
Three Little Women|Gabrielle E. Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for seminary

seminary

/ (ˈsɛmɪnərɪ) /

noun plural -naries

an academy for the training of priests, rabbis, etc

US another word for seminar (def. 1)

a place where something is grown

Derived forms of seminary

seminarial, adjective

Word Origin for seminary

C15: from Latin sēminārium a nursery garden, from sēmen seed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

seminary

Origin of seminary

OTHER WORDS FROM seminary

Words nearby seminary

Words related to seminary

How to use seminary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for seminary

Derived forms of seminary

Word Origin for seminary