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.
It’s headed by Rabbi Avi Weiss and Rabba Sara Hurwitz, the founders of liberal Orthodox seminaries in New York City. Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2025 Born in Poland in 1920, Karol Józef Wojtyła attended clandestine seminaries and frequented groups of intellectuals who met in secret to discuss ways of undermining Communism from within. Yvonnick Denoël, airmail.news, 1 Feb. 2025 McLaren is an author, popular blogger, frequent guest on television, radio, and news media programs, and has taught or lectured at many seminaries, denominational, and interfaith gatherings. News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025 The little yellow ashram has a small meditation garden, a Hindu seminary and a residential monastery. Kira Wakeam, NPR, 31 Jan. 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 23 Mar. 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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