seminary

noun

sem·​i·​nary ˈse-mə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce seminary (audio)
plural seminaries
1
: an environment in which something originates and from which it is propagated
a seminary of vice and crime
2
a
: an institution of secondary or higher education
b
: an institution for the training of candidates for the priesthood, ministry, or rabbinate

Examples of seminary in a Sentence

a seminary exclusively for women some claimed that orphanages were seminaries of sin and petty crime, turning out juvenile delinquents by the score
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And as media reports have suggested, these madrassas or seminaries had already been vacated earlier. Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 9 May 2025 The first retreat took place at Mount St. Alphonsus, a former seminary in Esopus, N.Y. Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025 During his enrollment in the seminary, Ratzinger was drafted into World War II, putting his theological teachings on hold. Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025 What was once an old seminary is now one of the most beautiful hotels in the city. Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for seminary

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, seedbed, nursery, from Latin seminarium, from semin-, semen seed

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seminary was in 1542

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Cite this Entry

“Seminary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seminary. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

seminary

noun
sem·​i·​nary ˈsem-ə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce seminary (audio)
plural seminaries
1
: a private school at or above the high school level
2
: a school for the training of priests, ministers, or rabbis
Etymology

Middle English seminary "seedbed, nursery, from Latin seminarium (same meaning), from semen "seed"

Word Origin
The English word seminary and its Latin source seminarium, a derivative of semen, "seed," both originally denoted a nursery for young plants. Roman authors sometimes used the Latin word figuratively, but English has gone much further in extending the meaning of the word, while the old sense "nursery for plants" is now obsolete. The use of seminary in reference to training schools for Roman Catholic clergy dates from the 16th century. Today the word refers equally to Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish colleges for training priests, ministers, or rabbis. Seminary has also been applied to other kinds of schools. When they were first formed in the 19th century, colleges for women were called "female seminaries" or "seminaries for young ladies."

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