seminal

adjective

sem·​i·​nal ˈse-mə-nᵊl 

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

ˈse-mə-nᵊl-ē 

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

Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer star Murphy sat down with Nancy Tartaglione to talk about the film, which includes a rare feature film role for Tracey Ullman, known for her seminal late-1980s show that introduced the world to The Simpsons. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025

For fans who revere the Eagles‘ early days most of all, Bernie Leadon is inextricably tied in with that seminal legacy, as a founding member who helped define their chart-busting country-rock sound for the group’s first four albums before taking his leave in 1975. —Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025

Portland’s identity as a culinary capital can be traced back to 1996, the year Sam Hayward opened his seminal Fore Street restaurant. —Marcia Desanctis, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2025

For furniture and interior design fans, a second exhibit features a rotating collection of the seminal work of Ray and Charles Eames in their final decade of collaboration. —Chris Dong, AFAR Media, 12 Aug. 2025

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

Phrases Containing seminal

• seminal duct
• seminal fluid
• seminal vesicle

Rhymes for seminal

• trigeminal

Medical Definition

seminal

adjective

sem·​i·​nal ˈsem-ən-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen

seminal discharge