seminal

From Middle English seminal, semynal, from Old French seminal, seminale, from Latin sēminālis.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛmɪnəl/

• Audio (RP)

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• Rhymes: -ɛmɪnəl

seminal (comparative more seminal, superlative most seminal)

1. Of or relating to seed or semen.
   • 1792, George Louis Le Clerc, Barr's Buffon. Buffon's Natural History (page 126)

     During the summer, he studied calmars at Lisbon, but found no appearance of any roe, nor any reservoir which appeared to be destined for the reception of the seminal liquor; and it was in the middle of December, that he began to discern the first traces of a new vessel replete with a milty juice.

2. Creative or having the power to originate.
3. Highly influential, especially in some original way, and providing a basis for future development or research.

   Synonyms: influential, pioneering

   • 1827, Julius Hare and Augustus William Hare, Guesses at Truth

     The idea of God is, beyond all question or comparison, the one great seminal principle.

   "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" was a seminal work in the modern philosophy of science.

   • 2000, Walter Nicholson, Intermediate microeconomics and its application:

     For a seminal contribution to the economics of fertility, ....

• (relating to seed): germinal
• (creative): innovative, primary
• (highly influential): influential, innovative, formative

seminal (plural seminals)

1. (obsolete) A seed.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], OCLC 152706203:

     the seminals of spiders and scorpions

• Elamins, Malines, Melians, isleman, menials, salmine

From Latin sēminālis.

seminal (masculine and feminine plural seminals)

1. seminal

• vesícula seminal

• “seminal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “seminal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “seminal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “seminal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

From Latin sēminālis.

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: se‧mi‧nal

seminal m or f (plural seminais)

1. (botany) seminal (relating to seeds)
2. (anatomy) seminal (relating to semen)
3. seminal; creative; inventive

   Synonyms: criativo, inventivo, fértil

4. seminal (highly influential)

• sêmen
• semente

• “seminal” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

From French séminal, from Latin seminalis.

seminal m or n (feminine singular seminală, masculine plural seminali, feminine and neuter plural seminale)

1. seminal

From Latin sēminālis.

• IPA^(key): /semiˈnal/ [se.miˈnal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: se‧mi‧nal

seminal (plural seminales)

1. (botany) seminal (relating to seeds)
2. (anatomy) seminal (relating to semen)
3. seminal; creative; inventive
4. seminal (highly influential)

• semen
• semilla

• “seminal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014