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 And where a surprising number of the game’s seminal figures and moments have their origin. Billy Witz, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Bansal is in a lot of ways a seminal example of an IVP founder. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 Some critics have tied Doty to popular parts of the expansive mythology that surrounds the subject, including the promotion of the Roswell crash as a seminal event in its history. Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 Superman, of course, was the title of the seminal 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve and directed by Richard Donner. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Patients often relive seminal moments from their lives, including joyful experiences of falling in love and painful ones of rejection. Phoebe Zerwick, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Nearly two decades after Luke Perry’s seminal television series Beverly Hills, 90210 went off the air, his friendships with his former costars endured. Aili Nahas, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Those seminal moments that shaped Milwaukee will be memorialized in nine new state historical markers that will dot the city and suburbs. Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 The health department move and advances such as the new hospital could herald a seminal moment for Anacostia, Mitchell said. Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024

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 29 Mar. 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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