seminal
/ˈsɛmɪnəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.27 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Highly influential, especially in some original way, and providing a basis for future development or research.
Example Sentences
- "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."
- ""The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" was a seminal work in the modern philosophy of science."
- "The idea of God is, beyond all question or comparison, the one great seminal principle."
- "The opening strains of "Left to My Own Devices" puts this album directly in the company of two of the most seminal dance albums of this decade, ABC's The Lexicon of Love and Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome."
- "For a seminal contribution to the economics of fertility, ...."
- "the seminals of spiders and scorpions"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *séh₁mn̥ Proto-Italic *sēmn̥ Latin sēmen Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin sēminālis Old French seminalbor. Middle English seminal English seminal From Middle English seminal, semynal, from Old French seminal, seminale, from Latin sēminālis, ultimately from oblique stem of Latin sēmen, sēminis (“seed”) + -al.