seminal

adjective

sem·​i·​nal ˈse-mə-nᵊl How to pronounce seminal (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
2
: containing or contributing the seeds of later development : creative, original
a seminal book
seminally adverb

Examples of seminal in a Sentence

Kandel was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2000 for his seminal observation that it was in the action of the synapses between cells that memory existed, not in the cells themselves, and that a molecule called cyclic AMP was what allowed cells to retain memory over the long term. Michael Greenberg, New York Review of Books, 4 Dec. 2008
Writer Susan Sontag died December 28 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer. She left behind an impressive body of fiction and criticism, including her seminal 1960s essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation." Allan Gurganus, Advocate, 1 Feb. 2005
I wonder if the curators who organized "Matisse Picasso" ever asked themselves why it was that Alfred H. Barr Jr., the first director of the Museum of Modern Art and the guiding spirit behind the museum's seminal exhibitions of both Picasso and Matisse, never mounted a show like the one that has now arrived at MoMA QNS. Such an exhibition might seem to be logical, almost inevitable for the Museum of Modern Art. Jed Perl, New Republic, 3 Mar. 2003
Recent Examples on the Web His work was covered in the seminal mushroom documentary Fantastic Fungi as well as in VICE, Wired, Buzzfeed and The Verge. Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2024 Dior / Lindbergh at La Galerie Dior La Galerie Dior at 30 Montaigne is staging an exhibition featuring over a hundred images by seminal fashion photographer, the late Peter Lindbergh. Stephanie Hirschmiller, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Prices were based on condition, the fame of the work, and the scarcity of the copy on sale—a scale delineated, in order of increasing expense, by such descriptors as significant, pivotal, seminal, stunning, very rare, exceedingly rare, and extremely rare. Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 Hill's had a busy couple years, celebrating the 25th anniversary of her seminal The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill with a world tour, that experienced its fair share of setbacks, as well as reuniting with her legendary group, the Fugees, which, again, setbacks. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for seminal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seminal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin seminalis, from semin-, semen seed — more at semen

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seminal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near seminal

Cite this Entry

“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seminal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

seminal

adjective
sem·​i·​nal ˈsem-ən-ᵊl How to pronounce seminal (audio)
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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